The Cruelty of Fate
by SquirrelISDead0304
Summary: Sasori for a brief amount of time had a childhood friend, until she walked away. And in what can only be the punchline in the greatest cosmic joke of all time, they stumble into each other for a second time. He's a crimminal running from the law and she's the typical mary-sue (more or less) , with a secret that could kill them both. Unless he kills her first...
1. A Shinma's promise

A Shinma's Promise

_Sasori gently lifted her small frail body and held her against his chest. He wiped away the blood trickling down her chin. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. Her bright red eyes met his dark brown._

_"I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you," She said in an agonized whisper._

_Sasori ignored her-people always apologized and listed their regrets on their percieved deathbeds- in favour of settling her in a small patch of grass away from the sight of the batle that had taken place not moments before._

_"I'm going to save you. I promised I would." The words were blunt and to the point. He wasn't doing this out of real sense of compassion or forgiveness. What she'd done was beyond reconcilable. He shut his eyes in concentration. It had been so long since he'd practiced medical ninjutsu he had to focus on making the proper hand signs and building up the right amount of chakra. He heard her cough faintly and frowned delving deeper for any chakra he felt he could spare. There wasn't a whole lot, but it would have to do. He rested his hands on top of the wound in her side._

_Crimson liquid flowed between his fingers trailing down the backs of his hands like rivers. Very few times had the sight of blood ever repulsed him, but the blood staining his hands red horrified him. It brought memories of an earlier time, when he had tried to kill her and her spilled blood left red foot prints as he walked down the hall- He blinked. He couldn't think about That now. That was in the past. But the memories were enough to break through the solid wall of indifference he'd built around himself. And there was nothing that could ebb the sudden raging tide of emotions he'd kept locked away in the far corners of his mind._

_"Sasori," Sade's voiced called in a soft whisper. He looked at her surprised to see her smiling. He again wiped away a trail of blood flowing from the corner of her mouth unable to fathom how she could be happy given the current conditions. _

_"Sasori, do you remember that story?" _

_"Sade you've told me so many story's I probably do remember that story. I just don't know which story I'm supposed to be remembering," He scowled. "But, yes I remember that story." Sade laughed softly but quickly submerged into a fit of coughing as crimson again escaped her mouth._

_"Sade, you need to save your energy," Sasori said once her coughing had subsided. Sade bit her lip._

_"Sade open your eyes," Sasori's voice commanded. He needed to see her eyes: they were the only thing he had to measure her life with. He couldn't check for vital signs when performing a complex jutsu. He couldn't have felt them anyways: he was a puppet and she didn't have vital signs to begin with. _

_Her eyes drifted closed again. _

"_Hikari," he warned, calling her real name. Her eyes snapped open with obvious shock. Then guilt, remorse, sorrow, pain, and deep deep regret flashed across her face_

_"Sasori, I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you."_

_Sasori blanched at the words. They were words he'd wanted to hear from her long ago, but now they were the last ones he wanted entering his ears. He couldn't forgive her for what she'd done, but he knew he now, like he'd known in a previous situation not unlike this one, that he could never hate her. He needed her too much and understood her too well. She was, and he supposed even now, after everything she'd done, still his best friend. _

_"I told you to be quiet." he repeated irritably. Concentrating on a jutsu like this was hard enough as it was. He was no professionally trained medic. Sewing sinew and flesh together wasn't easy to begin with._

_"Sasori, I can do nothing to correct my mistakes, but I saved time in a bottle. It's yours if you want." Sasori eyes widened and the jutsu faltered. The girl really needed to shut up. Of all times she could have told that this was the time she chose?_

_He supposed at any other time he would have been ecstatic to hear those words, but now there was no feeling, besides irritation and a ever growing, menacing dread in the back of his mind that said 'she was beyond saving: all his efforts were invain.' He shook his head dispersing his thoughts. Now was not the time for such things._

_"Listen Sasori, please," Her voice whispered. Her shaking hand rose and entered his field of vision. "I know I've broken every promise I've made you-"_

_"No!" he protested. "You're not going to die. Now shut up!" He shouted and briefly she seemed taken aback, but then a faint spasm wracked her frame and more blood spurted from her lips and leaked between his fingers. He looked away overcome. He'd lost too much already… if she..._

"_Sasori: the Duck Story…" He stared down at her relenting; maybe if he spoke she'd remain silent and conserve what little energy she had left. It had been so long since he'd heard that story. It was the first one she'd ever told. He never forgotten it, but to tell it properly would require some amount of concentration and that put his jutsu at high risk of failing. _

_"A long time ago before Land of Wind was the Land of Wind," his voice choked. He wasn't sure how or why given the fact there was nothing in his throat to choke on. "There was a small village in an oasis. In the heart of this oasis was a huge lake and" -she was smiling in anticipation and his chest burned- "and ducks would visit the lake and one day there was a huge flock of ducks on the lake-"_

_"This promise-" she breathed, effectively cutting him off. A fury rose in him. "You're not going to die," he growled. "I won't break it," she ignored him. _

_He forced chakra into the wound: too fast and blood spurted, staining his vision red. She jerked beneath his hands. _"_FUCK!" Immediatly he fixed the damage he'd created. He bent down, hyper-aware of the task at hand. Storytelling could wait for later. Out of the corner of is eye he saw her slender long fingered hand rise and brush his cheek. He saw their tips stained red as her hand fell limply to her chest._

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**Author's Note: Due to plot holes I felt the need to edit the first chapter. I apolpogize. I had a feeling that the first chapter was too depressing for some readers, so I figured I would find a way to make it more intruiging. I'm not sure how much I like this thow. I still have the origional document saved. I could revert back if I'm feeling that this new chapter is too revealing. Anyways let me know how you like this one. Thanks.**


	2. The Beginning

**A/n: This the begging three chapters revised and condensed. Please R&R. Let me know what you thought of the dialog since conversations are not something I find easy to write. THANKS SO MUCH.**

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The Cruelty of fate

The Beginning

A young boy stared out the window, drumming his fingers impatiently on the adobe sill. People passed below his window, but none of them were the person he wanted to see. His gaze flickered toward his chunin vest lying on top of his dresser. He had earned it three months after she left and he wanted to show it to her. Any day now she'd come back. She promised.

The sun had been blisteringly hot that day when he'd been walking toward his Grandmother's house, after his two teammates had departed and headed to their own homes. He was being followed, he'd known he was.

He turned as he pulled a kunai from his leg holster and concealing it the sleeve of green robes. Three ninja stood, imposing on his person space, in the hopes of intimidating him. It worked. Three on one was hardly a fair fight. They leered down at him with maniacal blue eyes; their silver headbands with stones engraved in them glittered.

"Your teammates should watch what they say. You never know who could be listening, especially when you boastingly declare your opponents are weak." One of the ninja advised. All three of them smirked.

They were older and more rugged than Sasori, but they were arrogant; overestimating themselves and underestimating him.

"Neither of my teammates said that," _at least not openly._

"Oh didn't they?" the guy chuckled.

"We did hear them say you are the best of," the ninja eyed the round adobe house surrounding them distastefully. "this village's rookies."

One of the Stone Ninja edged closer, drawing the boy's gaze. "We're going to teach you our lesson and you can tell your little friends not be so bold and to mind themselves when in the presence of their superiors."

The boy snorted. Not out amusement, because there was nothing funny about the situation, but because refused to these punks have the satisfaction of cowing him into submission. Despite the knowledge that the odds weren't in his favour. He felt the attack coming.

In a blur, the ninja on his left darted forward. The boy gripped his kunai ready. The knife was knocked from his hand, and a heavy fist appeared in his face.

The blow didn't land and four pairs of bewildered eyes turned toward the person who'd caught the ninja's fist. She had his wrist locked in a tight hold. If the guy so much as blinked the wrong way she was liable to break it.

"Three on one is unfair isn't it?" She asked pleasantly in a soft melodious voice. The girl stood a good head shorter than the three ninja and maybe four or five inches taller than the boy who was watching her just as warily as the Stone ninja. He'd never seen her in his life. She had blindingly white hair ran past her shoulders and framed her ashen face. The smoky rings of Insomnia incensed beneath her smoldering crimson eyes added a sickly tinge to her sallow appearance. She was wearing the loose robes of a civilian, and her hands with disproportionally long spindly fingers were gloved. But, despite her meager appearance power lurked beneath her mask of frailty.

Smirks quickly returned to the two Stone Ninja who hadn't moved. Her appearance had no affect on them.

"Girl, you should stay out of this." She raised an eyebrow and put pressure on her captive's wrist.

"As guests here you should respect the villagers hosting the exam and as veterans who have taken the exam before you should be setting the example for the rookies: following the rules of the exam, which clearly state, there is to no fighting between three person cells prior to the beginning of exams." Smirks became glares as the two ninja eyed her darkly. Their companion hissing, ringing and wincing as pressure was gradually applied to his wrist.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the ninja bent over his wrist she was on the verge of breaking. She shoved him away into one of his companions and her hand fell to gently rest on the boy's shoulder.

"Put some ice on it and let it rest. Your wrist will be fine."

She back stepped pulling the kid with her until there was a fair distance between them and the three ninja.

"What village are you from?" One of them asked. "A small one in The Land of Waves."

The boy looked up at her surprised. A civilian country? Even if that was where she was from she was not a civilian.

Once she had deemed the distance between them and the three ninja she turned her back on them.

Three clouds of smoke appeared in front of them. The three ninja were back.

In a tone of mild annoyance she asked, "Can I help you?"

"We never gave you permission to leave." The girl blinked and smirked. "My apologies sir, I did not realize I required your permission to go eat dinner and recuperate after a long day of hard work. May we leave?" she asked cynically

"No. We're not through with the two of you." One of them answered amused. The girl's eyes narrowed.

"I wouldn't try it. You tell him to mind his superiors. I suggest you listen to your own advice."

Her warning was clear. Her chakra spiked briefly and the boy felt the power hidden within his bizarre savior surge. There was something about her that was dangerous. No matter how frail, sickly, meager or small she was something about her made him wary and the three Stone Ninja could feel it too. She wasn't going to let them push her around much longer.

Slowly, after exchanging quick glances they backed off.

"Feh," their ringleader shrugged. "We'll be seeing you again." He glared pointed at the boy.

She glared after the retreating ninja. Her hand fell from his shoulder and she began walking off.

The boy hesitated on the sidewalk before scurrying across the sandy road after her. He caught up with her and fell into step beside her. She glanced at him briefly before ignoring him. She stopped in front a small vendor selling an array of candies.

"Can I get a small bag of those?" she gestured toward a bowl filled with hard chocolate flavored candies.

"Sure, here." The lady running the booth poured a large spoonful of candies into a bag as the girl offered her a few dollars.

She gave the candy lady a departing smile and found an alcove in a nearby building to sit under. Ignoring the boy's presence, she dug into her bag of goodies. An eternal silence stretched between them and her eyebrow twitched as she glanced at him again.

"Why did you do that?" The asked watching her crunch on another candy. Sighing tiredly she swallowed. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall behind her. The dark rings starkly contrasting her gaunt skin reminded hi m of a corpse.

She turned her head, regarding him through cracked eye lids. "Three on one is hardly a far fight."

The boy frowned. "You could have gotten hurt." He didn't care, but to step in and help went against every teaching in Suna. She would be taken advantage of for her softness.

She offered him a faint smile. "It was a possibility." Suspicion danced in the boy's eyes. She might have only helped him to earn some sort of favour. Nobody helped someone else without expecting something in return. He'd have to find out without making her suspicious.

"What now?" He inquired.

She paused. "I don't know. I'm going to enjoy a bag of candy, that's for sure. Would you like a few?" She held the bag out for him. "No thanks." He quickly realized most kids wouldn't turn down a bag of candy. "I don't like the hard chocolates," he quickly lied. She gave him a strange look, before shrugging. "Your loss."

An awkward silence spread between them. "Look," she finally broke the silence, getting up. "I've got to go. But do me favour will you?" She asked seriously. He was instantly on guard. She noticed.

"Don't get into anymore trouble." It took him a minute to register what she'd said.

He nodded and a smile brightened her features. She turned and ran. When she twenty feet away she froze and turned.

"What's your name!"

"Sasori!"

"Maybe, I'll see you around sometime!" She turned a corner and disappeared.

He'd stood there for a while staring at the place she'd sat. She was like nobody he'd ever met. Finally, confused and bewildered he dashed home. There was a lot he wanted to tell his uncle when he got there.

It was a week later before he saw her again. She was at the market in a stall selling pottery. He glanced at his grandmother who was distracted by a ninja hurriedly speaking to her. He hastily made his way to the stall.

She glanced up from a pot she was wrapping for a happily paying customer. She grinned and gave him her full attention when she was no longer busy.

"Hello Sasori. How are you today?" She didn't give him a formal title like most people did when talking to him and that made him happy.

"Good." He watched her as she put a new pot out on display. It was adorned with waves and leaping dolphins.

"I thought you were lying when you said you were from Land of Waves. It's not a Shinobi village."

She smirked. "I'm not a Shinobi."

"Then how did you block that guy's punch and how do you know about the chunin exams? That's something no civilian knows."

She frowned. "My father was a ninja. That's how I know."

Sasori just looked at her, unsure what to say. The girl glanced up at an old lady standing two feet behind Sasori.

"Hello, I'm Sade. How may I help you?" She smiled warmly.

Sasori turned to see his grandmother. His stomach dropped to his feet. She was such an advocate for Suna's ninja way of life she might disapprove of the girl entirely.

"So, you're the one Ebizo told me about." The lady looked her over with a critical eye.

"Huh?" Sade asked bewildered. "Who told you…"

"My brother." Sade only looked more confused.

"You're not from Suna are you?" Sasori's granny asked.

"Uh, no. I'm from The Land of Waves."

"How did someone from the Land of Waves end up out here?" She asked dubiously.

"My Uncle and my Aunt were going through some tough times which resulted in some marital issues and my Uncle decided he needed to get away from everything, so he packed up his pottery and decided going to a place the total opposite of everything that reminded him of her was the best place to go." She frowned. "And, my parents are dead so he invited me along."

Sasori blinked. She too was alone. A fresh smile covered her dark frown and she asked, "Not to be rude or anything, but is there anything to do around here besides crisp?"

Sasori's eyes widened and he worriedly glanced at his grandmother. The girl clearly had no idea who she talking to. For all practical reasons, his Grandmother owned the village, being one of its most revered war veterans.

"It's quiet the climate change, isn't it?" His grandmother responded conversationally, ignoring Sade's breach in etiquette.

"Uh, yeah. Hot, I can handle hot. But the dry, not so much."

His grandmother nodded, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Sade was frowning. "So, how do you know about me?"

Sasori didn't know whether to smirk, laugh, or die. It was the funniest, yet most embarrassing moment of his life. The girl was making an absolute fool out of herself and had no idea. He was hoping he'd get a chance to explain things to his grandmother, before they met.

"I'm his Grandmother." Sasori bowed his head to suppress his smirk. This was all too amusing.

"Oh," the look of dawning that crossed the girl's face was priceless. With his expression schooled he looked at his Grandmother to see her smiling. Actually smiling. When was the last time he'd seen that?

Sade looked between them probably searching for physical similarities.

"That's cool." She finally said. Sasori stared. That was the understatement of the century, considering the fact the woman was B.A. enough to tear down a castle single handedly with ten puppets and set him on the path to what he was beginning to consider true art.

"You don't know who I am. Do you?" The question wasn't disapproving just curious. Sade frowned. "Um," She gave a nervous laugh. "No. Should I?" She shook her head. "Forget the last one, clearly I should." She sheepishly added.

His Grandmother laughed. Baffled Sasori studied Sade. He hadn't seen his grandmother smile and now this girl had made her laugh. It hadn't been a long drawn out guffaw, but it had been a chuckle. He had no idea what to make of the conversation.

"I don't think it's something you need to worry about." His grandmother said, answering her question anyways.

"Okay." Sade frowned. A silence filled the space between them.

"How long are going to be around?" Sasori's grandmother asked.

"Probably a few more weeks. I hope so anyways. I miss the waves." She sighed wistfully. "I miss the taste of pompano."

Sasori frowned. He felt drawn to the girl. She was so different from everybody else, and she stood up for him too. He wanted to know who she was, but if she wasn't going to be around very long, then getting attached was something he should be avoiding.

"Hey!" Sade shouted at some guy and walking by with a young girl. He looked up Sade questioningly. "Can I interest you?" She gestured to the pots on display.

"No thanks."

"Okay." Sade grabbed something from a box at her feet. "How about a starfish? I have no clue what you could possibly do with it, but it looks cool."

The man shook his head with an amused expression.

"You sure? You look like a ninja. Maybe you could use it a weapon." She mimed the motion of shuriken and the guy laughed. Sasori smirked and he noticed his Grandmother doing the same.

The, man decided to get a closer look.

"Where do these come from?"

"The Land of Waves," Sade beamed. The man glanced at the starfish and the pots on display with interest.

"Hmm…" he glanced down at the star fish. "I don't know."

"Well how about an angelfish for your angel?" Sade pulled an indigo fish with brightly coloured rainbow fins from nowhere. She pulled out a few other statues.

"Sorry, but I don't need any pots or figurines."

Sade huffed and looked down at the little girl clenching her father's hand. The smile returned. "I have one thing…" She pulled out a sack eyeing the girl curiously. She reached in and pulled out a very large bright orange shell.

"If you hold this to your ear, you can hear the sound of the ocean." She gave it to the girl who pressed against her head.

"I can hear it! I can hear the ocean, Daddy!" the girl squealed. Sade gently took back her shell. "Beautiful isn't it?" The longing in Sade's tone evident. "Would you like to listen?" She passed the shell to Sasori who raised it to his ear. Faintly he could hear the roar of waves crashing against white beaches. The sound of an endless wind roaring across desert sands. How strange. He offered it to his Grandmother who also listened.

"Daddy, I want the shell. Can you please buy it for me?" The man glared at Sade who innocently shrugged.

"I knew walking over here was a bad idea," he sulked.

"Sorry," Sade apologetically smiled.

"No, you're not." He began digging into his wallet.

"How much is the shell?" He asked.

"Ten yen," Sade answered. The guy gave her look. "It's so expensive because, I was expecting to sell it to a civilian who'd never see the ocean in his entire life, not a ninja who could get a mission there next week. And it's musical."

Sade glanced at the girl calculatingly. "I'll tell you what. Since you are so cute and came over to look at my stuff despite my stupid attempt to sell you a useless starfish, I'll give it to you seventy percent off. You better take good care of it. It took me a long time find one and it may be a long time before I'm back with another one."

The man paid her. "And sir, you may take the starfish for free as an added bonus and I hope it proves to be a useful weapon. Although, It only has a one throw warranty, it is solid clay, so it might knock someone out."

The guy laughed turning to leave. His daughter bouncing happily beside him with shell glued to the side of her head.

He glanced at Sasori and his Grandmother, just noticing them.

"Watch out Lady Chiyo, she make you buy something."

"Awww! Why would you do that? I just started talking to her. I didn't even get a chance to butter up yet." Sade whined. Sasori snickered.

The guy laughed before wandering off.

Sade burst into a fit of laughter. "Sorry about that. Don't worry, your money's safe in your pockets."

"I'm actually finishing up for today."

"Can I stay Granny Chiyo?" Sasori asked. She looked between her grandson and the girl that had protected him busily packing her wares into wooden crates.

"Sure Sasori, just be back by lunch."

"Can she come?"

Granny Chiyo hesitated. "If she wants."

Sasori watched his Grandmother amble into the crowd, until she disappeared.

His feet had turned toward Sade. And he'd watched as she stepped out of her little stall with a bag. She'd plopped it in his hands smiling. He'd opened it and into his palm had fallen a little red clay scorpion. He'd looked up at her with wide eyes and uttered the only words he could: "Thank you."

That day had been the first day of the briefest, best, and only friendship he'd experienced.

Sasori pulled his chunin vest from off his dresser and slipped his hand into one of the pockets. He pulled out the little red scorpion hidden within and ran a finger along the silky glaze. The person who'd made him this had for two weeks, been his best friend and he missed her. She'd promised to return and any day now he knew he'd be gazing out his window and he' d see familiar white hair, alabaster skin, and ruby eyes scanning the houses. A moment later a leather gloved hand with long bony spindly fingers would wave up at him and a second later the doorbell would ring.

He jumped as the sound of the door bell chimed throughout the house. He slid the scorpion back into his vest pocket and tore out of his room and down a flight of wooden stairs. Nearly smiling, and giddy with exuberant hope, he wrenched open the door. His body went numb and he schooled his expression into its usual blank mask.

"I'll get Lady Chiyo for you." Sasori closed the door and trudged to the study where his Grandmother was reading the book.

"Granny Chiyo the door is for you." He tried to hide the melancholy disappointment in his voice, but he knew was failing. His Grandmother breezed past him and a moment later her heard the front door snap and he knew his Grandmother was on the porch having a private conversation. He couldn't shake the coldness from his limbs. He didn't even know why he was daring to hope so much. How could he so foolish? Of course it wasn't her.

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**A/N: So this is the convencung of chapters 2-4 because no one wants to read those. So I hope you all like this one better. PLEASE R&R**


	3. The Absconder

**A/N: This is my favorite chapter so far. It took me several rewrites. Please review and let me know what you think and how I can improve. It would mean a lot to me. Thanks ^_^**

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The Cruelty of Fate

The Absconder

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**_Eight Years Later..._**

Boom! The door shuddered as a heavy fist pounded against it.

"Open up! We know you're in there!" a voice hollered, proceeded by another thunderous slam making the dark wooden door rattle. A boy who couldn't have been little more than fifteen regarded the door with dark brown eyes as he turned away from the open window. He frowned. The door wouldn't hold up much longer.

In a small hearth a dwindling fire burned, illuminating the room and the young man scrambling about. The flames cast dark shadows across his face and cast and eerie glow to his red hair. He was dimly aware of the door creaking beneath another hard, furious blow as carelessly threw a bunch of scrolls into a bag.

They were scrolls containing only his most cherished and necessary possessions. The rest of his projects would remain behind except for the unfinished one. He dashed across the room and snagged the scroll containing his unfinished project and stuffed it into the bag as well. A large book stuffed with notes soon followed. Swiftly, he gave the room a brief scan. He had everything. He grabbed a bucket of water beside the hearth and gazed at the orange flames. His latest puppets, he'd been working on would never be finished: forced to destroy them. They rested at the bottom the hearth, nothing more than ashes. His eyes darkened slightly as the banging on the door intensified. So, disappointing when they could have been masterpieces; true works of art that would escaped the ravages of time. It angered him to have been forced to destroy them, but it was the only way to prevent his secret from being discovered and his techniques from being used against him. He doused the fire just as the door exploded inward.

Four Ambu stood on the threshold peering into the black abyss of the workshop. One of gingerly reached out and slid his fingers down the wall searching for a light switch. He found it and the ninja tensed as the lights flickered on.

The room was full of tables covered in sharp tools and piles of wood. At the end of room a clay hearth held faintly glowing embers. A tipped over metal pail laid before it. A yard away a tabled covered in papers stood apart from the rest of the tables. They scanned the room with their eyes taking in all the details. Outside of the misplaced bucket in front of the hearth they were vaguely aware of the workshop's meticulously organized appearance. But the one detail that held their attention was the open window across the room.

"Shit, he's gone!"

Slowly, one of the Ambu members stepped into room. The man they'd been sent to retrieve was an expert at making traps and just because he'd left in a hurry, did not mean he hadn't decided to leave them a parting gift. The ninja crossed the room, reaching the open window unscathed. He signaled for his comrades to follow.

They all stood gazing warily at the window. There were no other ways he could have gotten out. There had to be trap: darts, perhaps the fugitive himself lurked outside.

"Hmm, I willing to bet whatever is out there waiting for us is going to come from above or from across the street," their leader said frowning behind his mask.

"I wonder…" He stretched his hand out and waved it outside the window. Nothing. He shrugged and began to tentatively ease himself out the small window. The hairs on the back of his neck were on end. His gut was screaming warnings to him as every nerve in his body tensed, instinctually aware of danger. He could see nothing, sense nothing, and hear nothing as he began to pull his first leg through the window. He was crouched awkwardly on the wall; the chakra in his hands keeping from falling as he pulled his remaining leg out. He heard it. All four of them heard it. He dove away from the window barely avoiding a small fast moving shape flying towards him. The three ninja inside leapt back and crouched defensively as it landed on the floor in front of them.

"What the hell was that?" Their leader's voice demanded from outside.

What it was, none of them were sure. The three ninja stood eyeing the small round black sphere that had landed on the floor with a solid heavy thud. A soft click emanated from it followed by a sharp hiss. The dark ball lit up with a pale blue light. It exploded in a cloud of dark smoke.

"Get out!" their leader commanded from the window. He cursed as the foul smelling cloud engulfed his comrades. It was blinding. One of his fellow ninja leapt out the window joining him. Coughing and sputtering the younger ninja griped his arm to stabilize his position on the wall. He felt his commander silently watching him.

"I think they took the door," he said, before coughing once more. His captain nodded and they dropped to the street bellow. The commander stood tense; ready for anything. Behind him his fellow ninja's coughing had gotten worse.

"My chakra-" Thud. The leader turned to see his comrade on the ground. He dropped to his knees beside him and rolled him onto his back. Silent coughs wracked his frame.

"Yura-Captain-m-make-sure you catch him." Yura nodded and pulled out a kunai. He stood. This was where the plan got risky. The ninja laying at his feet couldn't move and couldn't defend himself. Yura shrugged and walked away heading toward an alley. He leapt on to the roof of a small house and looked down at the ninja he knew was dying and flung the kunai at him. With a faint squelch the kunai sank into the man's jugular. A quick and painless death compared to the slow acting poison.

Sprinting, Sasori fled down a long alley way. Hopefully, the poisons in his smoke bomb would kill the ninja tailing him. If not, his subordinate would deal with them, assuming he didn't die as well. Not that it mattered: subordinates were dispensable and he had others. He masked his chakra as he darted from shadow to shadow, trying to sense unfriendly signatures. His senses, but he felt nothing. He was almost to one of the secret routes out of the village. It was small hidden path only the Ambu knew. There was something to be gained when your closest subordinate was an Ambu captain.

He frowned and pushed chakra to his legs. He couldn't feel the chakra signatures, but something in the air had changed. He could feel them closing in. He forced himself to go faster. Chakra flared behind him and his heart leapt out of his chest. He recognized it. Glancing around, he flung himself between two houses and whipped out a kunai.

"Sasori sama, it's Yura. We're alone."

The voice was Yura's and the chakra was as well. Slowly, Sasori stepped forward, to the edge of the shadows.

"They're dead. You know where to go?" Yura asked quietly. "Yes," Sasori answered coldly. He had to leave; neither one of them could tarry.

"I brought you this," Yura said pulling out a kunai and tossed it to him. Sasori raised an eyebrow speculatively. His fingers ran along the handle. He felt a faint fulguration. He brushed the spot again and again felt a flash of chakra. He wasn't holding a knife.

"I'd figure you'd need it," Yura explained. The 'knife' was put in a pocket inside his bag, separating it from his precious scrolls. He nodded and turned away, sinking into the shadows again. He whispered silent thanks before dashing away.

Sasori slowed as he neared the end of the alley. He couldn't feel any chakra signatures, but he knew there were ninja's around searching for him. Slowly he peeked out and looked out. Nothing moved. He was for the moment alone. Sprinting, he crossed the street to a gap between two houses. Smirking he slowed his pace. The path was just ahead.

Standing on the threshold between the home knew and the silent dark world just on the other side of the village's fortified wall he paused and looked back. The silent dark streets, the dark new moon barely discernable in the night sky, the clay brick dome shaped houses with their round little unlit windows. In the distance he could see his Grandmother's house. Had Ambu stopped in to inform her of his defection? Did she know? He scowled as he felt guilt sweep over him. Stupid emotions.

Things weren't supposed to end this way. He'd never wished to leave or wanted to abandon Hidden Sand; at least not this suddenly. He frowned. He heard a faint buzz. Silver flashed before his face.

He turned and saw an explosive tag sparking in the sand.

_Shit!_ He ran toward the vast desert. Boom! The fire blast knocked him off his feet. He flew through the air and collided with the wall. He felt a sickening snap and blood spurted from his parted lips. Dazed, he slid down the wall. A loud rumble filled his ears and he was dimly aware of large boulders falling from above. Shakily he got up, hissing as his side screamed pain. A kunai whizzed past him and another struck the wall beside him. He bit back the pain and ran for the desert. He pulled out an explosive tag of his own and threw it up towards the top of the wall. It exploded and boulders rained down.

He fled, abandoning everything and everyone he'd ever known. He pulled out a string of explosive tags and flung them behind him. Several loud explosions echoed behind him and heard the thunderous tumult of deadly boulders crashing to the earth. Maybe his pursuers were crushed, at the very least they would be slowed down.

His side burned as he ran. He couldn't check his injury so close to the village, but from the pain alone he inferred something was broken. He opened his bag and looked inside. Nothing appeared damaged, although the corner of the bag itself was damaged.

For a day and two nights Sasori struggled through the sands, but lack of food, water, and rest forced him to slow down. He had passed the state of exhaustion long ago and sheer will was the only thing keeping him going. He stumbled, but staggered on. He would rest at the foot of the dune he had walked over. He'd rest.

"Ugh!" Searing pain shot through his calf and his leg gave out. He pitched forward and tumbled down the side of the dune. At the foot of the dune he remained face down in the cooling sand and made no move to stand. His eyes stung as the pain in his side became unbearable. He shifted and lifted his head to glare at his side. The pain in his side had been a consistent burning. Now, it was if, it was as if- he squinted blearily- he was laying on something. He forced himself to sit up and inspect his injury. He lifted his dirty vest and shirt to see the damage the wall had inflicted on his side. His side was a deep purple and a sickly green. Glancing at the ground he saw he had indeed been laying on something.

He looked around. Splintered wood littered the ground and the bottom of portion of a wagon lay on its side in the sand maybe ten feet away. Perhaps there was food in it… water maybe.

Sasori made to stand but' his leg quailed and he fell back with grunt of pain. He'd been making his chakra. If he healed his injuries, he'd alert every ninja for miles around of his location. He struggled to his feet, putting pressure on his crampless leg. Biting his lip, as the pain in his side and cramped leg surged, he trudged toward the wagon.

He peered inside and to his ravenous stomach's delight found a bag of bruised apples and several packages of dried fruit strewn about in crimson tinted sand. He opened one and shoved the contents of the bag into his mouth gathering the others and throwing them into his bag. The apples he shoved to the bottom to keep them from damaging his scrolls. He turned his gaze toward the wagon once more. He quickly found two full canteens of water. One was stashed in his bag. The other he opened and greedily drank half of, before common sense scolded him. It too found its way into his bag. The water hadn't alleviated the burning in his throat and made him yearn for more, but it instantly reinvigorated him and he was able to focus on his surroundings.

Timber and broken wood were scattered across the ground in circular pattern. He stepped around the wagon and his eyes immediately darted to four recognizable lumps. The pace of his heart's beat quickened: corpses. Three of the bodies were lying twisted, bloodied, and mangled among the fragmented wood of the obliterated wagon. The sand was stained with blood a lot of which had to have come from more than four people. It was strange- as he surveyed the ground-while a Shinobi of Sunagakure, he would have been informed of rogue ninja in the area.

_Interesting_, he thought. One of the bodies was in the center of the circle of shrapnel. And every bit of debris was strewn about in a circular pattern away from the body. The person had used some sort of jutsu to push the wagon and other people away in what would have probably been a swift explosion…

He had no idea. Slowly, he approached the body in the center of the circle. This one showed the most promise of being a good addition to his collection. Not to mention, general curiosity propelled him forward.

The body was laying face down in the sand and garbed in dark traveling robes and was quite smaller than the other three bodies; shorter than him even.

His foot landed on something hard and he heard a snap. He stooped down, gritting his teeth and found a thin shard of glazed clay. It had a faint curve as if it had once belonged to a pot. He cast it aside and continued hobbling toward the body, now noticing more clay fragments among the wood, blood, and sand.

He stopped beside the body and swiftly rolled it over to assess the damage done to it and determine its worth as a puppet, as well to see its face. His heart dropped into his stomach. He wrenched his hand away as if stung.

He blinked, pinched himself, nudged his injured ribs, but nothing he did dispelled the illusion before him. It was her. The girl who'd promised return. He shook his head, smirking wryly. She was lying in the sand in front of him appearing just as he remembered her. Pale skin, white hair, -he lifted one of her hands- disproportionally long fingers compared to the rest of her body: she really hadn't changed at all. And as he gripped her wrist while his emotions roiled through him, he felt something. He swept aside his shock, confusion, anger, and betrayal to identify the feeling. Closing his eyes to focus, he felt it again; a faint flutter beneath his finger tips. His eyes widened at the revelation.

_She's alive._ Unconscious and severely injured she was sprawled out before him under the most bizarre of circumstances. To find her of all places at the very time he was running from his village was unfounded. Now he was faced with new decisions to make. Should he take her or leave her. He frowned at himself for even asking those questions. She'd slow him down, but if he wound up in a fight having a comrade would prove to be useful. If she proved to be a hindrance he could kill her in a way that would be clean and allow him the opportunity to turn her into a work of art. If he left her, the hunter nin following him, wouldn't be so nice. They'd squander her talents and waste her potential.

Deciding that wouldn't do, he scooped her up and slung her over his shoulder before continuing his journey out of the desert.


	4. Sade

Sade

Sasori glared at the girl sleeping in the sand beside him. He'd been on the run from Sand Shinobi for the past five days and he'd been unable to leave her behind. He'd given in to one emotion or another and now he was stuck carrying her though the desert as he struggled to avoid capture.

His situation which was bad before had grown worse as is his pursuers slowly began to catch up. He couldn't feel the chakra signatures, but an innate sense told him they weren't far behind. Soon, if the girl didn't wake up, he'd be forced to dump her in the sand, especially now that his meager food supply was nearly empty. Why he hadn't already was a mystery to him. When he'd first snagged her he had been able to justify his actions with the simple answer: art. If she had the one who had blown apart the wagon and killed the people who'd attacked her then she would make a good addition to his collection in the future. Two days of actually carrying her around, with ambu on his back was insane and the answer he had initially created to explain his actions was, not the real reason.

Glaring, he focused on the sky noticing the sun had turned from a blistering yellow to a deep orange, on the verge sinking below the horizon. He was thinking again and every time he did he questioned himself and his actions around the girl. Who was she but another person who had entered his life and deserted him a moment later? The edge of the desert was another two days away and the nearest village farther than that. His plan was to cross the border into the Land of Fire and from there travel north, but thinking about a girl he found in the sand wasn't going to get him there.

Grudgingly he got up, grimacing as dull, pain surged through his muscles. He'd put more distance behind him before night fell entirely. Then he'd rest.

He'd slowed his pace and rather than running straight, he'd begun keeping low and slipping between the dunes which as the day had wore on had gradually gotten smaller. Soon they'd be gone and the golden sand that had surrounded him for the last five days would recede to hardened flat rocky ground. Perhaps he'd cross the border sooner than two days. A soft groan reached his ear, stopping him in his tracks. Crossing the border sooner than anticipated was something to hope for at least.

He laid the girl down in the sand and quickly pulled out a scroll. He'd been running with chakra unmasked for the last day and half, the slight flare as he summoned Hiruko couldn't make his situation much worse. Smoke billowed about him as Hiruko appeared. Leaping inside and locking himself within he turned to watch his unconscious companion.

Watching, her stir the sand as she shifted with a faint moan, he felt giddy anticipation envelope him. Soon, he'd know how she managed to retain her age over the last nine years and why she'd never come back. She stirred and her eyes fluttered open briefly before crinkling them shut. She turned her head and reopened her eyes blinking like an owl as she focused on her surroundings. Slowly her expression of curiosity became a frown as her bright red eyes rested on him.

"Who're you?" Her voice was soft like he remembered, but hoarse from lack of water, and full of mistrust.

"Hiruko," Sasori answered after a while. She nodded, seemingly unperturbed by the gruesome appearance of his battle puppet. She was probably delirious: dehydrated at any rate. He flung a bottle of water to her and wryly smirked as she guzzled it down.

"You don't want to drink all that."

The girl hesitated, glancing at the water, with dissatisfaction. He couldn't blame her entirely. He wanted to knock back his own, and watching her drink wasn't helping his resolve. But, it had to be sipped sparingly, if they hoped to get out alive.

Grudgingly she capped the bottle and passed back towards him and the both sat staring at each other; one with mild curiosity, the other with a woody glare.

She wheedled her lip between her teeth deliberating on something.

"My name is Sade."


	5. the Hunters and the Hunted

**After this I can safely say I'm done editing and can now move on from editing chaters to uploading new ones. Please R&R**

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The Hunters and the Hunted

For the entire day and well into the evening, the two companions had walked in silence. After their introductions, Hiruko had quickly gone to sleep, telling her to do the same, because they would be moving soon. That had been fine because she was exceptionally tired despite the fact she'd slept for how long? She had no idea and Hiruko didn't seem like the kind of person she wanted to bother when he was sleepy, so after pushing her questions to the back of her mind she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

What felt like moments later she was abruptly woken by Hiruko and without a word he walked away, pausing to toss over his shoulder, "You don't have to come, but you're not going to get very far if you don't."

Scrambling from the sand she hastened to his side and fell into step beside him. They walked in silence, for a while, until she asked him where they were headed and to her utter dismay, the very opposite of the place she wanted to go.

She asked him how to get Hidden Sand and all he did was point was in its general direction and that had lead to an argument that he had decisively won with the words: "Hidden Sand Village is five days away and you have no water, no food, and you're injured. The moment the sun rises you'll be finished. I'm your only source of food and water for miles around. Besides there's a village a little more than a day away, when you get there I'm sure you'll find someone who can take you to Suna."

All in all, their morning had been a simple conversation that had wound up resulting in an exchange of unpleasantries and lead to an irritated Hiruko and a frustrated Sade. Which is where they were currently, although the silence that surrounded them had lost most of its tension.

Sade frowned, reflecting on their exchange. She had asked him where he was headed and he had told her he was heading to a small trade village on the edge of the desert to visit his Grandmother, which shocked her because how a man that looked as old as he did could have a grandmother, much less one that would actually want to be visited by him was beyond her. Of course she hadn't mentioned any of this to him.

In front of her, he froze instinctually she did too.

"What's wrong?" Sasori heard her whisper. He could feel them. They were closing in.

"Come on, we've got to go. We've been in the desert too long." He quickly hurried into the dark only dimly aware of the bewildered girl trying to keep up.

Sasori looked back at her frowning. She was running a few feet behind him. They needed to travel faster.

She nearly ran into him as he pulled to a stop. He turned and before she was even aware of what he was planning she was lifted and slung over his shoulder. She watched in shock as her mysterious companion put on an extra spurt of speed she wouldn't have thought possible for such a big man. She blinked as sudden warmth flooded through her limbs as the hairs on the back of her neck. She could feel an edge of danger on the air surrounding them. Her stomach growled and she blushed at the idea of him hearing the obnoxious sound. But she couldn't deny the sudden craving she had for something far sweeter than the taste of the apple she had eaten.

The sky had lightened by the time Sasori stopped Hiruko's breakneck pace. The girl slid from his shoulders and flopped in the sand. Sasori lowered Hiruko to a sitting position before stretching and massaging his cramping fingers. His arms were sore and fingers hurt. He took a sip from his water bottle before looking at his companion. She was lying on her back looking up at the sky.

As if feeling his gaze on her she craned her neck to lock her gaze with Hiruko's. She gave him a small smile that quickly faded.

"My name is Sade."

"Hiruko." Sasori answered gruffly.

"Hiruko?" Sade asked trying it out. Sasori blinked unsure of what the light curl of her lips meant.

"I like your name. It suits you" Sade whispered.

Sasori nodded perturbed by her sudden coolnees. Sade was playing with th sand watching it slipp through the gaps between her long gloved fingers. He pulled another apple out of the bag and tossed it to her. An almost empty water bottle followed shortly after. She took a short drink before tossing it back.

"Your hands."

Sade's head shot up and she reguarded him cold calculating eyes. "They're weird. I know," Sade frowned, but her eyes softened as she watched him.

She sighed. "I wasn't born with my fingers being hidiously long. They changed- I changed," she reiderated. "They're not. Here, let me show you." Sasori watched as Sade wrenched the ebony glove from off her right hand. She raised her hand. Her fingers were long and pail. They were the skeletal, bony fingers of anold woman's corpse. They were twiglike and the cartilage between the bones stuck out like knobby sore thumbs. They were just as Sade had described them. Yet for al that he found them fasinating as well. She had long fingernails; about an inch in lengh, but instead of being transparent like a normal person's nails, hers were as white as her skin. The medic and the artist within both were overcome by curiosity and before he could register what had happened she had lurched back and wrenched her hand from out of his reach.

He watched her scowling. She watched him suspiciously, before forcing her tense muscles to relax.

"Sorry, I don't usually allow people so close."

Sasori returned his outstretched hand to the sand beside him. "I just wanted to look." Sade bit her lip, and grudgingly held out her hand for him to inspect.

Sasori inspected the girls fingers resting lightly in Hiruko's large hand. Sasori bent her fingers so that her hand formed a fist inside his puppet's. He wished he could step outside the puppet and get a closer inspection: physiccaly feel the strangness of her hand. He released her hand and frowned as she quickly shoved her hand back into her glove. He frowned at the idea of how cramped her fingers had to be in dark leather.

They ate in silence. It had been the longest conversation they'd had that didn't have to do with their need to escape Wind Country's sandy inferno. They buried their apple cores and continued walking.

...

"Where are we going?" Sasori frowned as Sade disrupted the silence between them.

Evening was closing in on the desert as the orange sun began its daily descent behind the dunes. Sasori had decided to take the night to rest. His chakra was low and Sade, while she was able to keep up, was still severely dehydrated and worn from her treck without him.

"Because trailing after you threw me off my original course I'm heading toward the Land of Rivers." Sasori answered stiffly. Sade took another bite of her apple.

"Are we still being followed?" She asked. Sasori hesitated.

"Yes, but my sand clones will throw a least a few of them off our trail."

Sasori frowned. He was tired, but he wondered if he could sleep with her watching.

"Can I trust you?" He asked. He knew he couldn't but he had interest in being interrogated further. Sade paused in thought.

"No." She answered as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. He stared at her surprised.

"Okay… I'm going to sleep wake me the sun reaches that point in the sky." Sade followed his finger with her eyes. He was pointing low at the horizon. He wanted nothing more than a three hour nap from what she could guess. She bobbed her head slightly.

Hiruko laid down and Sasori curled onto his to get comfortable. Two days of running and carrying a stupid girl across the desert had left him exhausted. He had hardly slept and when he did it would be fit full and riddled with nightmares. The ninja tracing him had fallen behind him again, their chakra signatures barely detectable. He pulled out a kunai and placed it in his sleeve before shutting his eyes and letting the darkness quickly covered him in its warm blanket.

Sade stretched and began pacing glaring at the ground angrily. I f she sat down again she'd fall asleep. She finally grew bored pacing and flopped down on the golden sand in irritated huff. She gazed at her moody constantly grumpy companion. She wished he'd be happy once in a while. She hadn't had a real conversation with him yet and knew next to nothing about him. He wasn't sleeping soundly. In fact this was the first time she'd seen him sleep and she knew three hours was inadequate, but it's what he wanted. She stood up puzzled. Their survival on their trek through the desert depended on him. Her hopes of returning to Hidden Sand Village and seeing her old friend were resting in his hands. He needed to be well rested; she needed him to be well rested.

Slowly she walked over and crouched beside him. Dark dreams tormented his sleep. She scowled at the sand grains that were embedding themselves in one of the spikes of his sideways Mohawk as she deliberated on what to do. Her teeth broke through the skin of her lip.

She searched through her memories looking for the happiest she possessed and allowed the emotion to flow through her. Slowly the warmth of the memories began to coil tightly in her stomach. It boiled and could no longer be contained. It flowed through her veins and coursed through her arteries. She crinkled her eyes shut struggling to control herself and the unruly emotions she'd unleashed. She slid her arms around Hiruko and poured all the happiness, joy and tranquility she was experiencing into him. Sade grew tense as she felt him slipping farther into darkness away from his black dreams.

When she was sure Hiruko would be getting the best sleep she could provide, she pulled away. Hunger and exhaustion gripped her in sharp talons as she rose to a standing position. She brushed a lock of sweaty white hair out her eyes as she looked up at the sky. Years ago such emotions would have killed her; a fact she took no pleasure in. She looked toward the direction of their pursuers and lifted the wings she knew she had and launched herself into the air.

Sasori woke hearing his name.

"Hiruko Sempai, it's time to wake up," Sade's soft voice said. Sasori blinked groggily and made Hiruko sit up. He tried to stretch as best he could in the confines of his puppet. He pulled out his bottle and drunk last sip to moisten his throat.

"What did you call me?" He asked.

"I called you Sempai. Is that wrong?" Sade asked worriedly. She was squatting next to him looking at him with wide eyes. Sasori blinked as the word struck a chord. A sharp pain bloomed in his chest along with an iron rod of anger. He hesitated, making sure he masked his emotions before replying.

"I would prefer you didn't."

"Is there anything you want me to call you?" She asked quietly. Sasori frowned at the question.

"Hiruko would be fine," Sasori answered with a hard edge. She blinked and bit her lip hearing the cold note in his voice.

"How much longer till we get to the village?"

Sasori scowled as he looked at his companion more closely. Her eyes were brighter than they were before and she seemed more chipper and energetic than she had in the days she'd been with him. He frowned as his eyes locked on to a red stain in the tips of her hair. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed her hair to inspect it. He rolled the lock of hair in his fingers trying to identify the substance by feel with Hiruko's wooden fingers. He watched her face as he studied hair, but she kept her emotions hidden behind a blank visage. He felt a sudden wave of anger.

"I can't trust you," Sasori quoted. She flinched and he let her lock of hair fall from his fingers.

"I didn't lie."

Sasori raised an eyebrow and got up, Sade following suit.

"If we hurry and no one catches up to us," he glared pointedly in her direction. She shifted her eye to a sand dune in the distance. "This afternoon." He answered finally.

Sasori immediately began walking and Sade quickly followed.

...

"You're a ninja." Sade's voice piped. Sasori frowned. She wasn't asking; she was making a statement.

He could no longer feel any ninjas pursuing them, but he didn't relax. On the contrary he quickened his pace ever so slightly and seconds later he felt Sade fall into step beside him again.

He felt the weight of her eyes boring into him. Red wide eyes that displayed every emotion she felt. He found books harder to read than the expressions on the face. He glanced at from the corner of his eye and noticed the red streak again. His fists tightened. He'd be free of her later. The little idiot was going to try to cross the desert again after they reached the village and he would no longer have to put up with her. He'd give her some money and then he wouldn't have to look after her again. It would give him a chance to breath freely outside of Hiruko and walk around on his own two feet. Whatever happened to her; he could care less.

Evening had begun to settle over the land by the time they neared the village. Their journey had been uneventful with exception of Sade pointing excitedly at the first small cactus they came across. She pointed and jabbered about every plant after that and how much she loved them. It was at that point Sasori duly reminded her that the vast majority of plants were poisonous.

Now the village loomed before, surrounded by scrubby leafy plants and a few cactuses. He'd been here before on several missions and quickly made his way toward an inn to rest in for the night. He hadn't gone more than ten paces when he realized he was no longer being followed. He turned and saw Sade standing where he'd left her. She was staring at him in confusion.

"What's the problem?"Sasori asked irritated. He could already feel the bed he'd be laying in once he got a room.

"What do I do?" She asked thickly. Sasori blinked unsure of what to make of her tone and the question.

"I'm going to get a room at an inn. I know where a pub and a few restaraunts are. You should be able to find a guide of some sort to take you to Sand Village."He explained. Sade's confusion vanished abruptly and a light smile played about the corners of her mouth. She fell into step beside him as they meandered through the streets.

Sasori came upon an inn he had never been in and decided to avoid the places he had frequented most often. He had Sade to wait outside as he paid for a room. He would run out of money soon. The only money he had he'd saved from recent missions and the meager allowance he'd been paid while forming the Puppet Corps. He looked through the clean window in the door and saw Sade nudging pebbles with her feet. He blinked as he looked at her shoes. They were on the verge of falling to pieces with more tears and holes in them than he had ever seen in any pair of shoes ever. They had turned a grayish brown from dirt and grime and what looked like a rounded check mark was peeling off the side. He quickly offered the lady at the desk the money he owed her and ducked back outside unable to look away from the decrepit things on her feet.

She looked up at him as he approached.

"There's a pub at the end of the street. It's not particularly clean but it tends to be very popular. Odds are, you'll find a guide to take you to Suna. Just don't do anything stupid and you'll be all right." Sasori pointed. Sade could see it on the corner at the very far end of the street. She could make out the silhouettes of a group of people standing outside.

"Good beer and food right?" Sade asked darkly.

Sasori smirked at her distaste, "Probably."

She frowned as if in deep thought. "Thanks for your help. I would be dead without you."

Sasori merely bobbed Hiruko's head. Sade gave him a wide grin and set off down the street toward the pub Hiruko had suggested.

Sasori watched her until she entered the pub he'd suggested. He smirked, shaking his head as he entered an inn that appeared to be a decent establishment. As he stepped through the door he wasn't disapointed.

...

Sade ducked her head as she passed a trio of drunken men staggering out the door of the pub. They were laughing about some private joke. She held the door for them, but otherwise tried to ignore them. She quickly slipped inside after they had passed. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the stinging smoky haze.

The pub was spacious and the floor was taken up entirely by tables, most of which were crowded. Hiruko had been right. The pub's floor was dirty and tables were laden in crumbs. Only three young women were bustling about refilling drinks and trying to carry dirty dishes by the armload to the kitchen. Sweat beaded their faces and all of them had bags under their eyes. But what caught her attention were the smells of delicious foods wafting in from the kitchen. He mouth watered and she swore she could taste the spices within the foods.

She scanned the pub and noticed two Sand Shinobi. They were the people she'd come to find and yet she didn't want to talk to them right away. She hesitated before walking up to one of the women.

"Excuse me, but I was wondering if I could work here for the evening. I need to a guide to take me to Suna and I don't have the money to ask for the services of one of the ninjas." She pointed in their general direction. The lady scrutinized her over the stack of plates in her arms.

"I'll clean those, and I can wash the tables and sweep the floor," Sade offered along with a smile. The lady looked between her and the plates deliberating.

"Come with me. I'm sure there's something you could do. I warn you the odds of getting enough money to pay a shinobi for anything in one night are highly unlikely." The lady led her through the door into the kitchen where there was mountain of dishes taller than Sade was waiting to be cleaned.

"I'll have a word with the boss and see if this is all right." She quickly departed leaving Sade alone with the dirty dishes and six cooks all scrambling about for spices and various pots and pans. Sade shrugged and pulled off her gloves before filing the sink and lathering the first plate with lemon scented soap.

The water burned her fingers as she scraped the hardened sauces and crumbs off the plated with the only rag at hand. She looked around realizing she was lacking a towel, and a clean counter to put clean dishes on. She scowled and began pulling open drawers and cupboards. Finally she found the towels and a clean pile of folded rags. She brushed her hair back from her face as she settled in for a long night of work.

"Haha!" Loud laughter resonated throughout the kitchen. Sade ran her hands through the soapsuds floating in the sink making sure they covered her hands as much as possible.

The lady had returned with a tall man. He was balding and sweat glistened on the top of his head making it shine. He was of wide girth despite his height. He was smiling pleasantly, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

"You're desperate. Feel free to work here full time if it suits you." He turned and left laughing. Sade gazed after him berating herself once again. A strange cold chill crept over her as she shifted her gaze to the lady. The lady walked over and inspected Sade's first finished plate.

"You do good work."

Sade grinned at the complement's warmth seeped through her system and waited for the lady to leave before pulling her hands. She scowled at her abnormally long fingers and abnormally sharp nails as the chill returned.

...

Sasori woke feeling hungry. He sat up in his bed and let his gaze wander about the darkened room. Night had fallen over the village. He reached out and flicked the switch on the wall next to the bed. Hiruko lay splayed out at the foot of the bed. He crawled over and reached down for his bag and pulled out his remaining food. He pulled out the last apple and the last granola bar he'd brought with him from Suna and a half empty bottle of water. He frowned hunkering down for his pitiful meal.

He took a bite of the granola bar and relaxed as the sweet taste filled his mouth. Tomorrow morning he'd buy more food and carry on, heading wherever the whim took him. He pulled a scroll from his bag and once finished eating and drinking he slid it under his pillow.

...

Sade grinned as she was handed a small satchel of money the innkeeper had given her. She had left at nearly one in the morning long after the late night patrons had left. She wandered down the streets looking for inn to stay in. She stopped in the empty dark street regarding the inn Hiruko had gotten a room. She cringed as her stomach coiled into a tight knot. It would be disrespectful to creep back to him after he had seemed happy to be rid of her. She shrugged and passed on.

The stars twinkled above her as the hairs stood up on the back of her neck. She froze as she sensed rather than saw a shadow in a side street to left moved. She froze tense and poised. Her crimson eyes darted from shadow to shadow. She bit her lip and absentmindedly wrung her gloved hands as she waited.

She jumped at a loud crash behind her. Her heart rate sped as it attempted to leap from her chest. She could hear a soft scuttling noise and she sank into a low crouch. Slowly to avoid her silent opponent's notice she began freeing her long fingers from her gloves as adrenaline lengthened them. She could hear a faint scuttling. The sound grew louder as it began to approach.

She took a step back as a cat leapt out of the alley. She let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She straightened from her crouch and smiled.

"Stupid cat; thought you were a shinma."

She frowned, despite her relief the hairs on her arms and neck still stood on end and her claws while they hadn't shrunk to their usual length had ceased to grow. She sighed, in control again. She stifled her emotions and began to walk again. Her eyes never left the shadows and several times she blinked swearing she'd seen something, but there was never anything there.

She froze rigid as she heard a faint swish behind her. Cold sweat left her partially gloved hands clammy and sticky. Terror had her in its talons. Should she run or fight? Run of course, she couldn't lose what little control she had. If she was attacked, what would she do?

_This is bad. I've got to get off the streets. Oh please, oh please. _She glanced at her hands and felt a sharp pain as her teeth broke through the soft flesh of her pale bottom lip. _This can't happen here. If Miyu finds out I'll be killed for sure. I made a promise, I can't lie. Why This?_

"You smell like blood," an emotionless voice observed. She shrieked as a sudden fire burned her limbs, but a hand closed over her mouth silencing her cry.

Sade forced her breathing to slow in an attempt to gather her composure. The burning fire remained though, but having gained some control over her impulsive emotions she found it bearable. Besides being dragged backwards into an alley wasn't the worst thing that had happened to her. She was however surrounded by complete darkness and could not make out a single detail. She roughly grabbed by the shirt and pressed against a wall. Her feet dangled and her toes barily brushed against the ground.

"Open your eyes and tell us what we want to know," The voice commanded. She opened her eyes and the darkness was lifted from them. The moon shone bright and full in the sky above and the small stars danced about the heavens. She looked up into the face of a ninja.

He loomed over her like a cloud. He was far taller than Hiruko and he regarded her with dark eyes and a cold sneer, and behind him stood another ninja slightly shorter with blond hair and green eyes. His face was blank and he appeared calm and confident, but for some reason Sade felt more terrified of him than she felt toward the guy holding her and pulling out a kunai to regain her attention. The last detail she noticed before her gaze returned the man pinning against the alley wall's lumpy surface was his headband with an hourglass emblazoned in its silver surface. She smirked at the irony; being held at knifepoint by the people she needed most. It was enough to make her laugh.

"Where are you from?" The ninja asked. She blinked and looked up into his dark eyes.

"The Land of Waves, I was on way to Suna with my uncle to sell pottery," Sade answered.

"Was that your uncle you arrived in town with?" He asked sharply.

Sade shook her head afraid to talk. Shinobi from the Hidden Sand had been chasing them across the desert. She couldn't reveal his location, she owed him that much.

Pain flared again and she resisted the urge to hiss.

"We were traveling to Suna when we were attacked. He told me to keep quiet and stay in the wagon, so I did. I heard shouting and then there was some sort of explosion and the wagon's ceiling was torn asunder. When I came too, the wagon was destroyed and I was completely alone. The man you saw me enter the village with found me and guided me here. He said I could find a guide or at least someone who could help me get to Hidden Sand Village. I was intending to return to the wagon and see if there was anything still in one piece that might be sellable," Sade explained hastily.

The two ninjas exchanged glances.

"Sasori Akasuna?" the blonde asked.

Sade felt her stomach summersault in sudden wave of nausea. They were hunting Sasori. Images of the red-haired boy she'd met flashed before her mind's eye. She had been with him. She had walked him from school and they had eaten sweets together. They used to race each other to his house and spend the afternoons talking about everything from puppets to ocean currents and identifying rip tides. Another wave of fire burned her physically and mentally. She winced as she bit back the scream in her throat. What was going on?

The ninjas noticed her wince and he watched her with silent calculating eyes.

"Your grip is tight," she offered as an explanation. The ninja slowly loosened his hold and let her down.

"No, he just recently defected and the last thing he'd want to do is make a scene, especially so close to his home village," the dark eyed shinobi answered with a touch of sarcasm.

"Bandits probably," he added as an afterthought. They returned their attention to the white haired girl in front of them. "So where were you heading at this hour? A young lady such as yourself shouldn't be wandering about at night; people might think you're up to something." The blonde haired ninja asked. His voice was soft and musical. Sade couldn't help but feel at ease hearing that voice, but for some reason he still bothered her.

"I was just leaving a pub. I was busy cleaning and waiting tables and I was looking for an inn to spend the night in,"

"If that's the case why did you pass by a perfectly good one not ten minutes ago?" He asked coldly. Sade frowned and shrugged.

"It seemed expensive and I want to save the money I have. I need it get me home or to Sand Village," She answered. It was a truthful enough answer, but she would never be able to truly call the Land of Waves her home.

The shinobi laughed. "It's probably the cheapest inn in this town."

"Really? It looks very nice," Sade responded with honest surprise.

The shinobi who had been holding her shrugged: "It's nice enough, considering how cheap it is. I suppose inns aren't so grandiose in Land of Waves."

Sade frowned. "No, they're not."

She needed to get away from these ninja and to Hiruko. She could feel a magnetized pull like an anchor dropped off a ship pulling her towards the very the inn she had tried to avoid. It seemed as if on her path of destiny her fate was to be intertwined with Hiruko's for a little while longer.

"Well go get yourself a room. It's late." The dark eyed ninja waved her off. Sade smiled and offered them her thanks and walked back down the street toward the inn. She grimaced once her back was turned. She knew they were watching; that they didn't believe her story. She walked through the wooden door of the inn and stepped into a wide reception area. A large oriental rug covered the center of the floor. The large wooden reception desk was vacant. She pressed the button on a little bell on the edge of the desk.

A short lady bustled out from an office behind the desk. She had mousy brown hair wrapped in a bun and wore large spectacles at the end of her short nose. She fixed Sade with a warm smile that Sade felt no inclination to return.

"I'd like a room. The smallest you have will be adequate; I'll only be here for the night."

The lady's smile died away as she pulled out a book and flipped it open and quickly wrote a few things in it. Sade blinked realizing the pen had been nestled behind the lady's ear the entire time. She needed to sleep if she could miss that obvious of a detail, but more than that she needed to find Sasori before the Shinobi outside did and the only person who could help her was Hiruko. The skid of the book's plastic cover pulled her from her thoughts.

"I'll need to sign your name," the lady said proffering her the pen she'd held. Sade wordlessly took the pen and scrawled across the page Sade Hotaru. She winced as her inflamed arms protested against the movement.

Hiruko's name was on the line above hers next to his check in time, the date, and his room number. Room A52. She would find a way to talk to him. She just needed a plan.

She looked back at the page to see what the price for her room was. She inwardly sighed. It wasn't as expensive as she feared. She pulled the required amount from the satchel she been given.

The clerk quickly checked the amount to make sure it was correct and slid it into a drawer beneath the desk.

"Here's the key to your room. Your room number is A49 which is on the ground floor straight through those doors," she pointed. "Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you for your hospitality at this hour," Sade smiled as she pocketed the remainder of her money. She silently pushed open the wooden double doors the clerk had indicated. Once the door snapped shut behind her blocking her from the clerk's spectacled gaze she ran. She didn't bother to read the door numbers. Somehow the pain radiating through her body knew where it wanted her to go. She couldn't stay here in these halls even if she didn't have keep a promise.

Then, two ninja loomed before her. One blonde and green eyed and the other dark haired and dark eyed. Strange emotions she preferred to leave unnamed and unidentified bloomed in her chest. She felt herself changing; wings were going to bloom from her shoulders, her eyes would darken until all she could see were auras and flowing chakra, her nails would grow long, narrow, and lethal, her strength would increase, and she would forget who she was, what her goals were, and where she was supposed to be, but this time she wouldn't stop it.

Sade ripped her gloves from her hands before any damage could be done to them. Her pupils painfully dilated. She continued running and leapt up. She elbowed the blonde ninja in the head and he fell to the floor dazed. She roughly pulled from the air and a sharp pain radiated through her side. She landed heavily and looked up to see him standing over her with a raised kunai.

_Crap! _She leapt up and back. She was immediately under a barrage of slashes stabs and blows. She ducked and dogged to no avail. Cuts covered her arms and she felt the knife sink into her side again. He lashed out with his foot and she was thrown back landing heavily on the floor again. She slowly got up as the burning sensation filled her limbs again. Anger fueled her actions: anger towards her opponent, anger towards her body for rebelling and being weaker, anger towards herself. She staggered up truly ticked off for once and charged at him head on. Just a few feet from him she threw her feet out from under and slid letting momentum carry her past.

"Keep!" She shouted and using momentum, her body weight and hands. She pulled him to the floor by his ankles. He aimed a kick that missed her face by a hair's breadth and she leapt on top of him.

Her claws sank neatly into his throat. Blood gurgled and bubbled up from his sliced jugular and began to spread across the floor. Slowly she leaned forward so that her lips were by his ear.

"I'm sorry, but this is the only way you can sleep peacefully forever. She pressed her lips to his and sighed as she felt every wound she'd receive begin to heal. The pain slowly ceased along with the burning. She raised her head looking down at the corpse before her. Disgusted she looked away and out of curiosity lifted the long sleeve of her shirt. She scowled remembering how it used to be black and highlighter yellow. Now it was brown and black, covered in filth that would never be washed away.

_Sasori…_

She looked at the other ninja still prostrate on the floor. She moved toward him and bent forward toward his face. She repeated the process and silently stood. She felt normal again; all the changes her body had gone through had disappeared. She was Sade again with the added addition of a tattoo. She found the gloves she'd lost during the fray. No one had come to investigate. How could no one have heard that? She shook her head and dragged the bodies into a nearby closet. She shut the door and realizing there was no way to clean up the blood she began running, picking up from where she left off. She had bought herself time and now she had to make the most of it.

...

Sasori opened his eyes and struggled against the weight on him. A hand clammed down on his mouth. "Ssh!" his assailent hissed. He lifted his knee and heard a grunt of pain, but the hand clamped harder on his mouth. "Stop it. It's me," a girl's voice whispered urgently. "Stop struggling." He aimed another kick. "Hiruko, stop," the voice pleaded. Freazing, he lowered his leg, realizing his attacker was his former traveling companion.

"Will you stop fighting me if I release you?" Sade asked. He could make out the paleness of her hair, and her red eyes, which seemed to faintly glow. He, forced himself to calm down and fall still. She pulled her hand away from his mouth and hastily got off him and the bed.

"Sade?" He asked reaching for the lamp next to his bed. Hard long fingers grabbed his wrist. "Don't," Her voice urged. He hatefully, glared in her general direction. "What the hell are you doing?" He demanded.

"Mask your chakra and get your things." She released him and shifted into the faint light emanating from beneath the door, so he could see her better. Her eyes, overly bright in the darkness fixed on him. He did as she said, relizing it wasn't the time to question her. Gathering, his bag and pulling out a scroll, for his traveling puppet, he realized Sade wasn't the reason why he'd initally woken up. There was tension in the air and it made his scalp prickle.

"I have to put my puppet in it's scroll," he explained. "Then do it fast," Sade replied and she stationed herself next to the door leaving the patch of wan light she'd stood in. After a second's hestitation Sasori pulled a traveling cloak out of the puppet and pulled it on. The puppet disapeared in a puff of smoke and a spike of chakra.

He palmed a knife and stood next to her, incase he was being double crossed.

Turning to him, she frowned, hesitating. "Are you ready?" He nodded, his hand tightening convulively around the knife.

She opened the door.


	6. Her Life Debt

**AN: So, it's been a while since I last updated. Sorry the chapter's so short. I've never written a battle scene before, so feedback would be appreciated, Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

The Cruelty of Fate

Her Life Debt

* * *

Sasori followed her into the hall and immediately, he was hit by the smell of blood and he knew instantly why he'd woken up. There was another streak of red in Sade's hair, matching the one she acquired in the desert, but this one was sticky and wet looking. He pulled his hood over his head and kept pace with her so if she glanced at him, she couldn't see his face.

They hurried down the hall, with absolute silence. Sasori froze as he passed a pool of blood on the floor. Red skid marks lead to nearby closet. He glanced at the girl ahead of him who was nearing the end of the hall. Biting his tongue, he glared at her back as he moved to catch up with her. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her, and he would make sure he got his answers.

Carefully, she placed their room keys on the front desk and together they ran out the door, The jangling of the loud bell hanging from it making them wince.

Sasori ran slightly ahead of Sade, his senses fully alert. There was no movement aside from the two of them, but he knew there were enemies pursuing them.

He led them out of the village, past silent alley and buildings, towards the fuzzy tree line on the horizon.

"We can't outrun them." Sade's panting emphasizing her statement. Sasori frowned. "I know. If we can cross the border into Fire Country, before they intercept us." Sasori could feel their pursuers closing in around them. He pulled a scroll out of his bag. At this point masking chakra was no longer an issue, but he wasn't ready to summon any puppets. The trees were less than a half a mile away.

"There have got to be at least five of them. We don't stand a chance if we fight them." Sasori mind was racing. The terrain was open and they were easy to see and there were no caves or hiding spots for miles around and there had to be, from what he had sensed earlier, five ambu after them and he couldn't be sure about that, because they had, in rapid succession masked their chakra, and he hadn't had a full night's sleep in several days, and he had no idea if his companion could or would fight with if it came to that, and he had no plan. They were screwed.

"Hiruko, I can buy you time."

"No!" shock was written across his face. "I've got a plan." He pulled out the very last of poison gas bombs. He glanced at her. She was keeping pace with him remarkably well, for a 'civilian'. He was going to flat out interrogate her when he got the chance.

He and tossed the bomb ahead them. "Don't breath." The bomb lit up briefly, illuminating the sand around it. Hopefully, Sade had heard him and knew what he was up to. Dark smoke suddenly enveloped them. He whipped out several kunai, holding his breath and still running, even thought his lungs were screaming for air. He leapt out of the dangerous cloud and flung the kunai into it. A second later Sade was at his side breathless, and gasping for air. He grabbed her wrist and hauled her away from the poisonous fumes. All but diving over the tree line he led them toward the border.

He glanced back and saw none of their pursuers. Hopefully, the poison killed them all, but he highly doubted it. They had been ambu for a reason. Sade was four feet behind him now. Still recovering from her fight in desert, and having had no sleep at all that night, she was at her limit. Why she was still with him and why she was eager to help him were beyond him. What and who was she? She might have been a potter, but she was definitely to fit and to powerful- that shredded wagon had to have been her doing- to be an ordinary civilian. She was not what he should be focused on at the moment. He would solve the Sade mystery later.

His hackles rose and leapt to the side as kunai struck the ground, separating him and the girl. Two ninja leered down at them from the branches above. Wasting no time, Sasori drew a kunai and hurled it the ninja closest to him just as the other drew a katana and lunged at Sade. Dodging his kunai, the ninja charged him and his hand flew the first scroll he could reach. He backtracked, making hand signs and a puppet appeared before him. A torrent of darts flew from the puppet's gaping maw. The ninja leaped and dodged and parried, but one struck the ninja above the knee.

Ripping, the needle from his knee the ninja felt an oily residue on his fingers. Glancing at the slender dart, he knew instantly what it was. A cold weight fell on him as he locked eyes with smirking puppeteer standing a few feet away.

Sasori, ignored the fallen nin; the poison was a fast acting one, he'd be unconscious with a raging fever in a few minutes. He adverted his gaze to Sade, dimly aware of a satisfying thud nearby.

Stumbling back Sade narrowly avoided a swipe at her face. The next blow she parried with her now deformed kunai. The ninja pulled away, leaping back as a volley of darts filled the space between them. Taking advantage of the distraction, Sade threw her knife at the ninja. The ninja dodged, and grinned. Sade back stepped, she'd just disarmed herself and she'd missed.

Sasori scowled; so much for keeping the girl alive. In a blur, his fingers moved.

Sade charged the ambu head on. The ninja raised his katana then is eyes went wide, and he uttered a pained, shocked, guttural noise. A spasm shook his frame. Skidding to a halt Sade looked back and forth between the dead ambu with a sword sticking out his chest and the hulking puppet looming behind him. The puppet disappeared in a cloud of smoke and the body fell to the ground. Sade looked over at her companion in muted shock.

"You were taking too long," He explained, rolling up his scroll and gingerly returning it to his bag. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow expectantly. She was watching him warily, the shock of the ninja's abrupt demise seeming to have worn off. She was probably afraid of him.

"We can't stay here. We're not over the border yet. There are ambu patrol routes all along this area. There are probably ninja on their way now."

Mentally gathering herself, Sade nodded and moved toward him. "Come on." Sasori broke into a run knowing she was right behind him. Tired as they were, they couldn't rest yet. He slowed down just enough to fall into step with Sade. She was at her limit, probably beyond it by this point, but for some reason he had a hard time reading her chakra. Even in the desert it had been hard. Once they crossed the border. He'd find a cave or something. With luck they'd avoid any more unpleasant encounters.

He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't notice the log till he gracelessly jumped over it. He checked to see if Sade had noticed, but she didn't comment.

They had run a good half mile into Leaf Territory, when Sasori found a small cave. He trudged inside, unable to move beyond a snail's pace, and flopped to ground. It really was a small cave, with barely enough room for the two of them. Sade followed his lead and dropped to the floor as close to opposite wall as possible.

Curling onto her side, Sade closed her eyes. "Hey?"

"Hmm," Sasori mumbled, drowsily.

"Do you still want me to call you Hiruko?"

Sasori cracked his eyes open. "My name is Sasori." The corners of were mouth twitched upward. "Sasori?"

"Yes?" he asked.

"You can call me Hikari," she whispered faintly.

"Okay, Hikari." She smiled and he couldn't it as the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Maybe, he'd get a few of questions answered in the morning. He closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Sasori sat up massaging his leg where his weapons holster had dug into it the night before. Stretching, he felt soreness in his back and side from lying on the rocky cave floor. He ignored the pain and looked around. Everything was still dark and Sade was sitting propped against the wall staring outside. As if feeling his gaze she turned toward him. She looked weary and her eyes were rimmed by dark shadows.

"Did you sleep?" he asked perturbed. She hadn't slept in at least twenty four hours. There was no way she would be able to keep up with him once they started moving.

The corners of her mouth twitched upward as she nodded. "A little; someone had to keep watch and you were toast."

Exasperated, Sasori shook his head and turned to face her entirely.

"We're out of food and water," he frowned eyeing the empty bag next to her. Glancing at the bag as well Sade sighed. "Yeah, I noticed when you chucked the bag at me and told me to carry it. I have money for both food and water. I'll buy some when we hit the next village."

Sade tucked her knees to her chest and rested her chin on her arms. "What's the plan?"

"I think going north to Rock Country would be the best route to take," Sasori admitted. He scowled not all together sure why he'd divulged his plan to her, a person he hardly knew. She might have been nice to him when he was a kid in Suna, but there was no telling how much she'd changed over the last eight years.

He frowned, sifting through the questions he wanted to ask, pulling a few to the front of his mind. Glancing at the cave entrance, the surrounding forest had begun to take on the dark blue of dawn. Soon they would need to leave. But he had an endless list of questions and this was the first time they'd been able to converse and he wanted to get answers. Admittedly, they could talk while they traveled, but he needed time to plan his course of action for the next few weeks and that would be the best time to do it. He deliberated and chose to ask the questions he felt were most important. He needed know why she hadn't turned him over and why she hadn't left him.

"Hikari?"

The girl perked up, lifting her head instantly at the usage of what he assumed was her preferred name. "Why are you helping me?"

"You saved my life in the desert and guided me to those who could help me so I felt indebted to you. I figured warning you about the ambu searching for you would make up for it and I didn't see a good opportunity to just abandon you while running again. Then you saved me from that ninja, so I owe you another one. That's why I didn't take off after finding this cave." She frowned. "Do you prefer if I left or didn't help you."

Sasori blinked, staggered by her words. "You'll get killed if you're caught with me. The fact I'm a rogue ninja and defected from my village should bother you. There are going to be bounty hunters: ninja and civilian after me along with ambu and hunter ninja. You barely stood a chance agains-"

"It doesn't matter," Sade interrupted defensively. "I would think that given your current circumstances you would want all the help you can get. Besides, I'm from a civilian village in a Shinobi-less country and You know that." She rubbed at her forehead irritably. "Station in life makes no difference to me. You could be a Shinobi of you village still, a drunkard on the street, a rogue ninja, a famous celebrity, a rich snob, or a broccoli farmer, and I would pay my debt or die trying."

Sasori sat at a total loss of how to respond. The determination and conviction in her ayes and the emotional edge that had seemed into her tone, left no doubt in his mind she was being honest and truly meant what she said.

Something like pain along with other emotions flickered across her face. They passed before he could identify them, but her eyes adverted away from his figure. "There's another reason too." Sasori tensed all his previous doubts screaming at him that she had a hidden agendas and wasn't what she'd just proclaimed herself to be. His hand wrapped subconsciously around the handle of one of his kunai. "I made a promise to a boy in Suna and then I made him wait eight years. I need to make up for that as well…" she trailed off, gazing at the rocky ground perplexedly before meeting his gaze with the same confused perplexion. She quickly looked away and he could make out a slight pout.

Despite all the years of training Sasori had put into being emotionless something inside him stirred. She was looking away pouting slightly. The feeling put him a ease regardless of his initial distrust and apprehensions and the eight years she'd made him wait and the fact he knew so little about her; he would have said he almost liked her at that moment.

"Where were you for the last eight years?" He asked with subdued bitterness. She breathed and her arms tightened around her knees. "I got caught up my family's feud," she ground out. "And I was searching for something," she added, closing her eyes like the memory itself wore her out. "I never forgot the promise I made you and I had intended to return to Suna a few years sooner, but-" She broke off scowling angrily. Her anger wasn't directed at him it was just general aggravation. However the look of suspicion and distrust that followed it was. "Crap came up," Sade finished lamely and she looked away.

Sasori raised an eyebrow, perplexed that she no longer seemed willing to talk. Silence settled over them and a little bird whistled outside the cave. The forest around them had turned to a hazy blue. The sun was preparing to spring above the horizon. Sade finally turned to him.

"We need to get moving. Staying here any longer could be the death of us."

Both of them stood. Sade dusted herself off and grabbed the empty food bag and hung it across her shoulder. Sasori grabbed Hiruko's scroll. The large puppet appeared before them gaping open ready to clam up the puppeteer in its protective shell. He sat down, bag in his lap, and met her appraising gaze.

A wistful smile flickered across her face. "I wish I had one of those."

Her only response was an amused smirk and the loud snap of the puppet snapping shut.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'll be uploading the next chapter in a couple weeks. It's going to contain a lot of dialog. Feedback and reviews would be greatly appreciated. I've already started the rough draft and I keep getting stuck, so like I said when I upload it I would love reviews.**

**Thanks for reading this far and sticking with my bizarre, seemingly plotless story. I apologize for the long break between updates. I still writing, I just wasn't typing.**

**I promise there is a plot. This story is just slow in building up to it.**


	7. Bioluminescence

**A/N: This has to be my billionth attempt at this chapter. I hate it so much… I implore you: please review.**

**Bioluminescence **

Eight hours. Eight hours of exhausting running, had pushed them past their limits as two winded travelers stumbled to a stop, panting. Dawn had already come and gone and above them a scorching noon sun lit up their surroundings. The entrance of a small civilian village stood erect: a promise of food and rest.

Sasori turned to Sade who gave him a slight nod and together the slowly made their way into the village.

Sasori trudged through the streets, aware of Sade's presence behind him. Hopefully she was aware that his status as a wanted criminal required using only shoddy little inns and houses of ill dispute as sleeping quarters. Perhaps she was aware or perhaps she was too tired to care because she silently followed his lead.

A bar with a measly little inn attached to it caught his attention and he hastened toward it.

They stepped into a closet sized lobby. A squat pasty balding man, only a few inches taller than Sade stood behind a tiny desk. He gave them an overly cheerful smile as they approached him.

The man's dark eyes briefly looked Sasori over before lingering on the exhausted girl standing inches behind him. With a steely glare, Sasori cleared his throat capturing the man's attention.

"We require a room." Sasori stated. He wanted to sleep and he didn't need a perverted old mad ogling his companion; not that there was anything worth looking at. Still the fewer distractions the better.

The man pulled a logbook out from under the desk. "Well, if you-"

"I trust that you are a man of principle who values his life and property." Sasori leaned in, biting back a smirk. Normally he was shorter than everyone around him. Unfortunately, the man smelled heavily of alcohol up close. The man nodded profusely. "Discretion is how we operate here. I can assure you." Sasori's eyes narrowed, as he slowly placed a fine sum of cash on the desk. The man snatched it up and stuffed it beneath his desk along with the log book. He handed Sasori a room key. "Enjoy your stay."

Sasori grunted in response. Immediately the man's beady eyes zoned in on Sade. Frowning Sasori glanced at his cohort. Sade eyes were drooping and the dark rings that rimmed her eyes were bruised smudges. She stood, swaying slightly as she slowly forced her eyes to remain open. How long had she gone without sleep? Gently he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the hall.

Tired as he was, he was aware of several drunken stares following them as he led her toward a staircase in the back of the bar. He let go of her as he climbed the stairs and began searching for the room with the number that matched the one engraved on the key.

It was on the left in the middle of the narrow hall. He opened the door and flipped on the lights, revealing a musty, drab dimly lit room, containing a two rickety twin sized beds and a single night stand with a faded lamp perched on top. Sade toddled past him and collapsed on top of one of the beds. Sasori shut the door, locking it, and putting a chakra seal on it for good measure, before he slipped into the other bed.

The last thing he did was twitch his finger so the switch on the wall flipped down covering them in darkness.

_Fog rolled through the dark shadows of a forbiddingly lifeless forest. The sky, a bloody crimson, gave the fog and the surrounding landscape an eerie tint. Beside the fog sliding past him like a great snake there was no movement. Worse yet there was no sound save for his own shallow breathing. _

_Behind him, without knowing how he knew, stretched a vast empty desert. Stained red and as devoid of life as the twisted and deformed forest that stood before him. The fog grew thicker, blotting out the trees, only to thin out once again and reveal a part of a blackened trunk or a gap between the densely crowded trees. _

_He stood, cautiously watching his surrounding, but he wasn't afraid. He was waiting for something. It was important, that he stand and wait, no matter how impatient he became._

_Snap! _

_There was something in front of him. A cold chill prickled his scalp. Narrowing his eyes he tried to peer through the wall of fog. Momentarily the solid grey cloud thinned and he could see two red glowing pinpoints of light. Fear jolted through him and he stepped back and tripped… over what? A tree root! He looked up to see the trees warped and crooked bent over him with contorted branches that, in a nonexistent wind writhed and reached for him. _

_The fog evaporated and in the shadow of the trees stood a shadow. It's red eyes laughed and mocked him. It grinned bearing long thread thin teeth. Even though he couldn't see the creature spread a pair of wings. _

_His hand flew toward his kunai holster and he drew a knife. The creature, with a wicked smirk, vanished. _

_Chest heaving from adrenaline and fear, he waited for the creature's reappearance. _

_Snap!_

_His hackles rose. It was behind him. Cursing, he tried to turn. His body wouldn't obey. Fear twisted his stomach in an iron fist. It was closing in. He could sense it. _

_Rustle of a leaf. _

_Directly behind him._

"_Get out of here." _

Sasori bolted upright, empty hand clenching an imaginary kunai in front of. Lungs heaving and dripping in sweat he wiped his forehead. Closing his eyes he sighed and lowered his outstretched arm.

Reopening them he froze. The room was dark, but a faint glowing white light casting shadows in the grooves of the wooden walls emanated from his right. He turned his head and his breath caught in his throat.

The four foot space between his bed and Sade's created the tiny gap between himself and a winged creature curled on top of Sade's bed. Hastily pulling out a kunai from his leg holster he stealthily turned to sit on the edge of the bed.

The white light emanated from the creature, but the creature itself seemed dark like deep shade. It reminded him of the sun's rays breaking through gaps in a cloud. Its back was turned toward him. One of its wings spread over the creature like a blanket and the other was partially bent under the creature and with its tip buried underneath the pillow. Two long three foot feathery antenna extended from the back of the creature's head and hung limply off the edge of the bed.

Slowly he slid off the bed and approached it. Every instinct he had screamed danger, just like in the dream. Whatever this thing was even though it didn't look particularly threatening from the back was dangerous. Arguably the most dangerous thing he'd ever been in the same room with.

He froze as the creature shifted. The antenna receded into the creature's hair and the wing covering it shifted downward.

Sasori scrabbled back in wide eyed shock.

The knife fell to the floor with a clatter loud enough to wake the dead. An antenna merely reappeared briefly before disappearing among the creature's long white hair.

"Sade Hikari, what the hell are you?"

Wide eyed he picked up the knife and silently retreated beneath his covers. Keeping the blade firmly in his grasp he stared at being residing on the other bed. It was going to be a long night without sleep.


	8. Building Trust

**Author's note: Wow it's been a long time hasn't it. You wouldn't believe how many times I had to rewrite this. Anyways I'm sorry for the long update. I hope you like this new chapter and please review and let me know what I can do to make this chapter and the story better. Thank you ^_^**

The Cruelty of Fate

Building Trust

Groggily brown eyes opened to blink hazily at a grey ceiling. Sasori woke surrounded by four colourless walls. He glanced at the other bed. Sade wasn't there. However tucked under the lamp was a folded slip of paper. It was note. I went out to find food. See you when I get back.

He frowned uneasily. What if she had no intention of coming back? In reality it would be better for her if she didn't, but it shouldn't concern him anyway. Her absence gave him a chance to take a shower and look through his scrolls and he had little time to waste. Slowly he rose from the bed stretching. He felt stiff and tired. A shower would definitely be good but he'd end up putting his dirty travel worn clothing back on afterwards. He opened a tiny door that revealed a standing shower, a sink supported by a dark wooden post under a cracked mirror, and a small round toilet. As simplistic and cheaply furnished as it was he found it was fairly clean. He found a single navy blue towel hanging next to the door and an empty hook. He stripped off his clothes and froze. His headband which he kept tied around his arm winked at him in the mirror. His shoulders tensed momentarily before he shrugged with a slight frown. He hung it on the hook beneath his shirt before stepping into the shower. The hot water relaxed his muscles and with a heavy sigh he closed his eyes and bowed his head enjoying the sensation.

The hourglass engraved in his headband winked at him and a droplet of water fell from his hair and rolled across the silver surface before hitting the floor. He'd been sitting there with his shower and scrolls completely forgotten. Memories flooded his vision and turbulent emotions roiled in his veins. He had left that village behind. He had left that village to put hat life behind him so he could restart. He had had reached a point where his home could no long sustain him so he had left to perfect his art, to find solace and purpose in his puppets and growing collection of jutsu. It had been the right decision so why what was the feeling clenching his chest?

What he should have done already was cross out the bloody symbol. He had left Suna and had no interest in going back not that he could anyway. Murdering comrade Shinobi usually put a damper on friendly relations with any village. So what was he doing? Why did his eyes start burning every time a memory of his grandmother or great uncle flashed in his head? It was illogical and a waste of his time. He had chosen to leave and he had no regrets. So why was a part of him absurdly refusing to let go? Why was his hand lead as he pulled a kunai from his weapon holster to score a line through the symbol?

His hand trembled and he irritably bit his lip glowering at his shaking fingers. He closed his eyes. Logic sated this should be easy. So what made him hesitate? He didn't regret, he didn't feel remorse, he wasn't upset. Why was he acting like a pathetic child, still burdened by its emotions?

He wasn't weak, he wasn't burdened by emotions, and he most certainly wasn't pathetic. With a keening grate the sharp tip of the knife etched a line through the symbol. He'd done it. He'd severed that final tie with his village and his eyes stung. The knife returned to its holster before shaking fingers dropped it the floor.

He flopped back onto the covers of the bed and closed his eyes. Only to crack an eye open and glance at the door. Sade had not appeared in the room since he'd woken. She probably should have come back by now, from where ever she was. They were in a small village and there wasn't very far she could go. How much food did she think they needed? He wiped at his left eye and growled in exasperation at the sheen of moisture on his skin. He needed to get a grip, ninja weren't supposed to be like this. He heaved a sigh and closed his eyes trying to assume a meditative state. Sade would be back soon with food and distraction. He groaned in frustration: he hated waiting.

Sasori was curled on his side, clutching his headband to his chest when Sade quietly entered their tiny room. She set her bag, full of nasty greasy takeout down on the nightstand between the beds and took a seat on the edge of her bed. A light frown marred her features.

After having been taught his entire life to remain alert and wary of the world around him, Sasori should have woken up the second she opened the door. He hadn't even stirred. She worried he

The puppeteer shifted at the sound of the crinkling bag, then fell still. The girl frowned. Sasori must be exhausted. His enhanced senses and instinctual distrust should have woken him the moment she entered the room.

Gently, Sade nudged his shoulder. His eyes snapped open and he sat up, his hand instantly dropping to his kunai holster as he glared at her. Slowly he relaxed and his focus turned to the bag on the rickety little table.

"You were gone awhile," he stated. Sade frowned. "I got us dinner and I looked around for a job opportunity."

He began rummaging through the bag, pulling out two cartons, a small bag containing two eggrolls, and a pair of chopsticks. He opened the cartons to find one containing greasy noodles and the other stuffed with oily rice. Cheap food, but there was nothing else. It's what they were forced to eat to conserve the remains of their money.

"Looks delicious," he said derisively.

Sade rolled her eyes as she pulled off her gloves and set them on the table. "Scrumptious, I know. It's what every ninja wishing to die of cardiac arrest eats," Sade sarcastically agreed. A tiny smirk from across the table was her only response. "The guy I spoke to wants us to kill a man who owes him a large amount of money and for my services he'll give us a share of it. What do you think?" She asked pulling the eggrolls over and taking one out of the bag. Sasori, who was fastidiously picking at the noodles, frowned at her.

"Take the job, get paid, and if you're able to; kill the employer and take the rest of the money." He stuck a piece of carrot in his mouth.

"You don't think people will come after u…" She'd been about to say 'us' when it dawned on her. She glowered. If hypothetically, she got the chance to kill her employer and she took it, anyone seeking revenge would come after her not him. There was no 'us.' He wanted to get rid of her. And he intended to do so permanently.

Sasori had set his chopsticks down in response to her sudden anger. He was tense and ready to draw a knife if she proved to be a threat, although she was openly emotional and her anger could be nothing.

Finally, reigning in her temper and hiding it behind a solemn smile she spoke. "If you wanted to get rid of me you could have said so." Sasori blinked, confused. "Letting some vengeful thugs come after me after I kill their leader would allow you walk away with a ton of cash and a free man."

Sasori smirked. Apparently, he wasn't the only on having trust issues. "I said if you got the chance. There's no guarantee you will, but I suggested it because I assumed you were skilled enough to handle him and any thugs surrounding him at the time. If some do come after you, which would make them incredibly dumb, we would handle them together, and like I said if they are that dumb you should be able to handle them on your own anyhow."

"It would have been a waste to save you in the desert only to kill you now," Sasori sniffed.

Sade looked up frowning, like she wanted to say something. But after a moment she looked down at her food and took a bite. He followed suit. He still had no idea how to voice his questions. If anyone knew the secret of immortality it would be her. He would be willing to do anything for that knowledge. He just needed to keep her around until he gained her trust and could ask her his questions. Then he'd dispose of her, although that life dept could prove handy as well. He stuck some greasy noodles in his mouth and swallowed quickly. Of course now he needed to gain her trust. What could he say or do to earn it?

"So how is it in Land of Waves these days?" Sasori asked. Sade froze before remembering herself and swallowing her mouth full of food. "The same as it's always been," Sade answered. "It's still an impoverished little place." She took a bite feeling no inclination to answer further. Sasori shifted. He really wasn't one to start small talk, but anything that would open her up he would do. Unfortunately the Land of Waves conversation didn't last very long. The way she'd spoken conveyed her dislike for the subject. He needed a new plan- Sade's voice cut off his thoughts.

"You fought with a puppet a few nights ago." Sade stated between bites. His ear perked as he waited for her to continue which she did with slow relish. "I never saw that one when... how new is it?"Blinking Sasori glanced at his bag and back at her. "It's a couple years old."

"Ah." She tapped her chopsticks against the side of her rice box uncertainly. "Most of the puppets I have with me are a lot newer," Sasori explained. Sade wordlessly took another bite.

"Did you like it?" Sade looked up confused. "Did you like the puppet?" Sasori reiterated. Sade thought back to the puppet and its creepy humanoid appearance. In appearance and function it was a true battle puppet. She thought of the other puppets she'd seen over the years; Sasori's were definitely better. "Yes." Keep the answer short and sweet, maybe he'd drop the subject. He studied her sharply, disliking the answer. "What is wrong with my puppet?" His voice held an edge.

Sade shook her head. "There is nothing wrong with the puppet. I like the puppet, it's just..." I've had too many nasty run-ins with my cousin's puppets... "Complicated." She trailed off mentally smacking herself. That was definitely the wrong thing to say to him and the frown she was receiving from across the unstable nightstand table only made her hate her answer more. "That came out wrong," she admonished trying to mollify her unhappy companion. "I like the puppet. I really do." Sasori looked anything but convinced. The girl looked disturbed.

He had shown her his puppets a few days after he met her. He'd gone to the market with his Grandmother who had needed to buy a few groceries and they he'd found her in the market selling items from her home village. They had spent the entire day together and had taken her to his house for lunch. Before she left to return to her uncle's hotel room he'd shown her a few of his puppets and put on a small performance for her. _She had smiled: "Wow, Sasori those are really good." Her eyes riveted to the puppets in awe, looked over at his grandmother standing behind him in the doorway separating the living room and kitchen. "He made those by himself?" Her eyes widened slightly at the nod he didn't see his grandmother give her. She was amazed, but he recalled vaguely thinking it had more to do with the fact he had made the puppets rather than the puppets themselves. "So you do like them?" He had asked. The smile never left her lips and the light of wonder never left her eyes, but something in her posture shifted, like she had flinched. Sade had hesitated to answer him, and had been no longer able to meet his gaze or look directly at the three puppets in front of her. She finally looked up smiling at him, but the smile seemed somehow hollow, but he ignored it as he impatiently waited for his answer. In a soft voice, that wavered like she didn't want to believe herself or that the words somehow brought her pain she whispered: "They're-"_

"Artistic."

Sasori blinked. "What?" Sade frowned, unhappy about having to repeat herself. "It's artistic."

Her voice held hollow reverence and her brow was furrowed as she stared at the table seeing something that he couldn't. He didn't think she was lying to him necessarily, but she wasn't voicing the entirety of her opinion either. Maybe he was being paranoid and desperately wanted her to say how amazing, awesome, and truly perfect his art is and marvel at it without being shy about it or maybe she was simply lying. No, she liked Hiruko, so she couldn't really be lying but something about puppets seemed to trouble her. There was something she wasn't telling him.

"You said that the last time I asked if you liked my puppets."

Her eyes glazed over as she thought back. "That was so long ago. You actually remember that?" She shook her head. "Of course I do. So far you're one of the few people I've met and haven't killed that has seen my art for what it truly is and you're the first person to ever call it that besides myself." Sade shrugged unsure of what to say. "So do you have those three puppets?"

"No, I left those behind." He didn't sound remorseful about doing so. "They were good puppets, but I have made a lot of better ones since then. I fiddled with them and upgraded them a few times, but after a while I left them alone, because I had puppets that I used more often and I finally gave them to the Puppet Brigade."

"The Puppet Brigade?" Sade asked.

Sasori smirked at the question. "It's a group of highly trained puppeteers who fought in the Third Ninja War." It was also when his genius as a puppeteer was realized by the entire world.

Hikari had returned to her food and he took the chance to study her closely. She was far more alert than any civilian he'd ever met and she could fly through the trees as well as any ninja he'd ever met, and yet she was exceedingly unskilled and uncoordinated compared to any ninja he'd come across, and had little or no knowledge of the Shinobi way of life except for maybe a few of the basics. She lacked a headband and claimed to come from the Land of Waves, but where did her ability to control chakra come from? She gave him a worried look over her rice laden chopsticks.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Sasori answered simply. "But I am curious about something." Sade set her chopsticks back in the carton. "If you came from Land of Waves an entirely civilian country, how did you learn to manipulate your chakra?"

Sade frowned. "Yeah, I figured you were going to ask." Her face darkened and after a moment she looked up at the ceiling like she couldn't believe she was actually going to tell him. She exhaled. "My father was a ninja." Her eyes were icy as she regarded him thoughtfully. "I was the youngest of three and by far the most unruly and out of sorts. So he trained me in the hopes of teaching me discipline as well as giving me a less... troublesome way to vent my emotions." She smirked. "It drove my other nuts when she found out about it." An amused chuckle escaped her. "She didn't want her youngest daughter becoming a ninja. I ended up living with her and my older sister for a while, but I reverted back to my old ways when I was no longer able to continue my training. So she grudgingly allowed me to return to him. However, she got her wish in the end. He died a little over two months after. We were never able to complete my training. Not that a shinobi's training is ever finished, but I was unable to learn any more. He was going to start teaching my actual jutsu... It never happened so I just continued practising what I knew on my own."

Sasori sat quietly, mulling over what she'd said. He hadn't heard of any rogue ninja disappearing in the Land of Waves, but the girl sitting across from him was older than she looked so it was possible, however unlikely, that she was being honest. "Where did your father come from?"

Sade shrugged. "I don't know, he didn't discuss it much, although he did say he was an ambu captain twice."

"Huh?"

Sade shook with muffled laughter. "He was demoted three times. Apparently you can't take your squad to the nearest bar, get all your team mates drunk, and call it 'The Mission'." Sasori blinked. Was she being serious? "My father was a drunkard. It's probably how my parents got married." Sasori stared at her, not knowing whether to be appalled or amused by her implication.

"Did your father teach your siblings any-"

Sade shook her head. "My older sister: no. He might have taught my brother but I doubt it. "

Getting her to reveal a few secrets had been a lot easier than Sasori had imagined. But it only raised more questions. She had a knack for exciting his curiosity: all her answers led to more questions. She had decided that she'd told him all she was willing to because she returned to her rice and was ignoring him.

If only he had some way to get all the information he wanted out of her, but gaining enough of her trust to get those answers, took time. If only he could just coercer her into telling him now, then he could get rid of her and travel on his own. She'd end up slowing him down although her life debt could prove useful. Maybe, he could put a mind control jutsu on her and add her to his spy network.

Sade involuntarily yawned and pushed her rice carton and chopsticks across the table. "I think I'm done." She shifted back onto the bed. Nights of no sleep and being attacked in the desert had finally caught with her. If only she had chosen to sleep longer rather than listen to the grumbling complaints of her stomach earlier.

Shrugging Sasori picked at his noodles. He didn't care if she fell asleep. He wouldn't have to worry about his safety if she wasn't a threat. Not to mention he might be able to see that weird creature from the night before. He shook his head. Whatever he had seen last night had been nothing more than a dream incorporating itself into reality in a moment of delirium.

Sade was watching him enquiringly from her bed and sent her a glare that conveyed exactly what he thought about her asking questions. Taking the hint she shifted and lied down on top of the blankets like she had the night before.

"Do you have something against blankets?" Sasori asked. Sade cracked an eye open. "No. Being a tad cold helps me stay semi-alert."

"I would think if you're going on a mission tomorrow you'd want to sleep as soundly as possible." Sasori replied.

"Yeah, says the ninja who's not going to catch a wink," sniped Sade who sent him a glare. "What is that supposed to mean?" He actually had no intention of sleeping. He wanted to see if that creature from the night before would reappear. He highly doubted it would. It had been a dream after, but it had been so real. Sade was sitting up.

"You're in an unfamiliar inn in a village that you don't know, being hunted by ambu and bounty hunters, under the protective wing of a slime ball innkeeper sharing a room with a travelling companion you don't know and I'm supposed to believe you going to close your eyes and enjoy a night of blissful slumber?"

_Sheesh, she likes to talk._

He wasn't sure how he felt about that. If she couldn't keep her mouth shut it would make it that much easier for his questions to be answered, but it made her that much more of a danger to have around; if she found out too much about him and got caught she could easily be used against him. He'd have to find out soon, if she was actually worth keeping around otherwise he'd have to block her memories with a mind control jutsu, or dispose of her entirely.

"What makes you think I'll be sleeping?" Sasori asked. The girl's eyes became slits. Hmph, maybe she wasn't as trusting as he was beginning to think.

"You just proved my point." Sade said after a moment.

Sasori shrugged, unconcerned. "I never said you were wrong."

Heaving a withering sigh Sade fell back onto her pillow and clasped her hands together over her eyes. She was tired and was not in the mood for a verbal scrap. She took a deep breath fully aware of the room's other occupant watching her every move. She frowned listening to the sound of bedsprings softly creaking followed by the crinkling of a paper bag and the thuds of takeout boxes being placed on top of one another.

"Sasori?" Sade bit her lip, still deliberating on whether or not she really wanted to hear the answer. "Why did you do it?" All movement ceased and a tangible silence filled the room. Slowly she turned her head to chance a look at him. He was watching her with a blank expressionless face, the box in his hand forgotten.

"Do what?" Sasori asked after a moment.

"Save me in the desert. Why'd you do it?" Sade reiterated. His expression was still unreadable but some of the tension in him slackened. He set the box in the bag and closed it up before pushing it against the wall.

"I don't know why." He frowned for a minute. "You seemed familiar."

"Even if that's true, why would you do something like that when you're on the run?" Sade helplessly raised a hand unable to voice her confusion out loud. "I don't understand. Most people wouldn't stick their necks out like that for people."

If it was possible Sasori's face became stonier. "I don't like repeating myself."

Something flashed in Sade's eyes but he couldn't decipher it. It was gone too fast. "You're lying."

Sasori narrowed his eyes and his hand inched toward his kunai holster.

"I don't like liars," Sade snarled sitting up to face him." If you don't want to say something that's fine, but don't lie to me and expect to get away it." She closed her eyes and lay back looking up at the ceiling. In a soft tired voice she wearily added: "I don't tolerate... deception."

She sounded absolutely bone tired. She rubbed at her eyes before folding her hands over them again. It looked like a relatively uncomfortable position to lie in, but Sasori wasn't going to comment. He frowned irritably. He might as well come clean and give her the other reason for his actions, but she didn't seem hell-bent on wrangling it out of him like he knew he would be doing if their positions were reversed.

"There are questions that I wanted to ask you." He finally said. He'd been expecting her get defensive, to move, to do something, but she didn't even spare him a glance. She just remained still staring at the ceiling through the crevices between her fingers.

"Then ask whatever questions you want, but it may be a bit too soon for me to answer any of them." She sifted her right hand so she could look at him with one bright red eye. It seemed as if she was searching for something in his face, but it was unclear to him if she learned anything because her hand recovered her eye and she returned to staring at the inside of her hands.

"Why did you fight off those ninja from Iwa?" Judging from the sound of his voice she thought he may have been curious about it for a while.

"I explained this to you a long time ago." Sade said with a frown. She remembered the moment well. It was the first time she'd ever gotten into a fight with a ninja and it hadn't even really been a fight. It had been anticlimactic. She also recalled the conversation she'd had with Sasori moments later. He had asked the exact same question.

"You reminded me of somebody." Sade finally answered. She hoped he didn't delve any deeper into the matter than that. "Otherwise, I probably would have ignored you. Or not," she shrugged.

Sasori frowned not sure what to make of that. He filed the info away irritated that asking a question only led to yet another question on his seemingly endless list of questions. Frustrated and a bit tired he glared up at the ceiling almost mimicking her position.

"How did you end up unconscious in the middle of the desert?" He asked. The one question he wanted to ask burned at the forefront of his mind but he pushed back. If he asked that one too soon it would be disastrous.

He heard the rustle of fabric as Sade shifted to look at him. "I was returning to Suna and some rogue Shinobi attacked the wagon." She sighed. "The Third War really messed things up. I had everything set up for another trek to Suna when my country's measly economy had an absolute pit fall. Two years and things are still screwed up, but I imagine a lot of places are still struggling. Although I never thought I'd see the day when ninjas attacked a civilian caravan."

Sasori blinked. There was that civilian ignorance again. It was so bizarre thinking of her as a civilian but he couldn't really see her as a ninja either. Her circumstances were. Too. Strange.

"It happens a lot more than you'd care to know." He had been one of the very ninja asked to kill a number of civilians, but most of them had been important political figures or had some other role in society. He'd never attacked a civilian caravan, but if his platoon had been low on supplies he probably would have. He wasn't sure how she'd take it if he mentioned that to her.

"The shinobi who attacked your wagon may have already gone rogue long before the war took place." Sasori added as an afterthought.

"It doesn't matter. They're gone now anyways." Sasori raised an eyebrow. He was right. She had killed them all.

She gave him a look that bored on shy, contrite, and sheepish all at the same time. "I kind of blew up the wagon."

"I saw."

"Oh." Sade muttered as she looked up at the ceiling and away from him. He was staring at her like she was the most fascinating thing in the world and it was making her uncomfortable.

"How did you do it?"

She looked positively nervous as she bit her lip. She wasn't looking at him but he could feel the anxiety that was pouring out of her.

"My chakra." She said softly. "I can condense it and if I release it suddenly... well you saw."

She was fidgeting and very tense, but he couldn't tell if that was because she was uncomfortable with telling him or if it was because she was nervous about the idea of prying further.

"I'd like to see that sometime."

If Sade had the ability to grow pale he was seeing it now. Her already pallid skin became a few shades whiter.

"After the mission I'll show you."

Even though he didn't want to wait he understood her reasoning. He laid his head back on his pillow in near contentment. The prospect of gaining a new puppet was an exciting one. She might not be useful alive, but as a puppet...

He cracked an eye open and Sade crawl the length of the bed to turn the lamp off. Weird. It was if they had unanimously decided the conversation was over. In the dark he could see the outline of the blankets as Sade curled beneath them. She was taking his advice. Now all he had to do was watch and wait.


	9. Building Trust Continued

**Author's Note: Sorry for such a delayed update. This chapter went through several rewrites and I've been busy, but I'm pleased to bring you this chapter. It went in directions I had not expected to go in, and honestly I'm shocked by some of the content in this chapter. I hope you enjoy reading and please review. Thanks ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Princess Miyu or Naruto.**

* * *

**The Cruelty of Fate**

**Building Trust Continued**

"Did you hear about the Akasuna kid from Hidden Sand? There's a very nice bounty on his head." A ninja asked his companion. Sasori had been listening to them for the last thirty minutes from within the confines of Hiruko. He'd felt their chakra from his room and had decided to go down stairs and investigate. And now he was sitting at a table closest to the front entrance of the inn and the staircase so he could see the clock in the lobby and Hikari if she arrived on time as well as the two shinobi sitting a couple tables away. Unfortunately this meant he was forced to put up with the smoke, loud music, and boisterous drunks

One of the ninja he'd been watching took a swig from a large mug laughing gruffly about something his companion must have said. It was unclear what village they came from as neither one had their headbands visible.

"So are you thinking about hunting him down?"

"Eh, nah." The ninja chuckled downing his drink. "AMBU's hunting him down. Odds are he'll be dead in a week."

"I heard he destroyed a civilian caravan, or at the very least attacked a civilian caravan transporting pottery," said his companion. "The civilians along with the shinobi who were supposed to be protecting them were all dead. One of the wagons was complete blown up."

"Maybe, but that doesn't sound like Akasuna. He takes the bodies an-"

"What?"

The two ninja leaned in conspiratorially and the fist ninja's rough voice became a whisper that Sasori had to strain to hear, even with his enhanced hearing.

"He turns them into puppets."

Sasori smirked at the appalled shock openly written across the other ninja's face. "But he only does that to ninja: ninja with exceptional skills or kekkei genkai."

"There's more though: several AMBU were found dead a few days later. They'd been hot on his trail too, but judging from the tracks they were still ten miles out from where he was supposedly located at the time."

Sasori blinked fascinated, by what he'd just heard. Someone else, someone formidable, someone who was potentially worthy of a place in his collection had inadvertently saved him from a very nasty run in with AMBU.

"Well then it obviously wasn't his doing. Someone else is wandering the desert apparently," the first ninja drawled waving over a barmaid. His cautious and smarter sounding partner looked anything but convinced. "Maybe he's not alone."

The first ninja laughed as a new mug was set before him. "I pity the fool dumb enough to do that." He leaned in toward his partner. "If someone is travelling with him, I reckon it means Akasuna's got his eye on them. Odds are when they're not lookin' he'll rip out their innards and string them up to be some gruesome weapon, like the ones that he was caught making when he defected."

Gruesome! They obviously had no appreciation for an artist's work. If they weren't in a public place, he would have made a point to show them just how beautiful his puppets were. He smirked at the idea of turning them into puppets. The more boisterous and careless of the two ninja was of a strong robust build. There was no end to what he could do to a puppet made from his corpse. But he pushed those thoughts aside. He'd come to find out what ninja were in the bar and he was waiting for someone.

He glanced at the clock. Nearly an hour had gone by and Hikari still hadn't-

The bell on door of the inn jangled as it burst open. A young man: civilian, Sasori figured by his dress and complete disregard for the presences of the three shinobi in the room flew to the bar and even though he made the attempt to whisper to the barman, Sasori could hear him from across the room and undoubtedly the ninja two tables away on his left and about three tables closer to the bar could as well.

The young man's eyes flickered around the bar as he nervously cast glances at the loud bar patrons revelling in their drunkenness before continuing to speak. He did every so often and Sasori found it exceeding amusing: the more he tried to hide himself behind a mask of casualness the more obvious his secretiveness became: the guy even went so far as to buy himself a drink, as if it would disguise the tension coiled in his posture.

"The guards were dead in pools of their own blood; their bodies shrivelled like the life had sucked out of them, but not only that, there were dead ninjas found as well: same thing."

"What do you mean?" The bartender asked.

"Akasuna?" the cautious ninja asked his mildly drunk companion.

"I don't doubt it."

"Yeah, well you never saw the kid's puppet jutsu did you?" He snapped, before refocusing his attention upon the conversation at the counter.

The young man glanced around. "These shinobi broke into the lord's villa in an attempt to rob him or assassinate him, I guess. All I know is the lord's daughter was running the hall a bloody mess, screaming about ninja coming to kill her father and by the time servants and the daughter's personal guards got there the lord- rest his soul-, and the three ninja sent to kill him were all dead. The ninja were shrivelled, just like the lord's bodyguards had been, but the lord's body was normal. He'd been stabbed by a katana or something."

"That's horrible," the bartender whispered in a horrified tone.

"How's the daughter? To lose both her parents in over a year…."

"She collapsed in the arms of one of her handmaids, muttering incoherencies. That's when I was sent out to warn the village we've got a murderer of sorts wandering our streets."

He shook his head. "One of the maids started going o about how the whole estate needed to be exorcised and everyone living in the walls needed to be blessed, because we have a demon on the loose," he added rolling his eyes. "Personally, I say there's no need to shout 'demons and monsters' every time someone dies. It's likely to be some psychotic ninja possessing a terrible jutsu. Filthy criminals the lot of them. They should be killed. Every single one of them, then we could have peace in the world."

The bartender passed the man a mug of a strong drink, when the guy began to cry.

Sasori sat appalled, he'd never seen a grown man cry in his life and here in a bar, full of strangers, this man probably in his early or mid twenties was sobbing. Flabbergasted, he shook his head pondering what he'd heard. That could have been the lord Sade was supposed to rob, in fact he was sure it was. As curious as he was to figure out what happened, he couldn't run out the door and go see the carnage for himself, especially if the villagers began to suspect shinobi in their village. Sighing, he heavily, he reclined back in Hiruko, making the chair the puppet was sitting in groan in protest. Why did Hikari have a way of making things more complicated? Then again, maybe she'd already completed her mission for that thug who'd hired her and hadn't even been involved.

"Ugh," he groaned as he felt a tension headache rising. He knew he was deluding himself by wishing for it to be that easy, because it was never that easy. And Hikari was proving to be an unsolvable enigma on top of this unexplainable event. How he hope she wasn't involved. He wouldn't even bring it up to her, he'd let this go as some random occurrence in this village and wouldn't think anymore of it. He would demand the answers to his question and he'd overlook this. As long as she proved to be loyal, capable of completing her missions, and a decent subordinate he would ignore the rest.

He closed his eyes momentarily giving in to his body's desire for sleep and silence. The nice thing about Hiruko was the sounds of the drunken crowd were muffled. It was through jutsu only that he could see and hear inside Hiruko. For one thing he sat inside the puppet with his back facing the front of the puppet. It felt good to be in such a dark confined space knowing he was safe from most of the dangers he'd ever encounter, including a deep, tone-deaf, drunken, voice bellowing as some man stood on a table attempting to sing opera, only to crash to the ground passed out completely to the laughter of his comrades.

He faintly heard the chime of a bell and he perked up in time to see the door of the inn lobby close behind Hikari. From his angle he could see her plainly, even if the wall of the lobby partly obscured her from the rest of the bar patrons. She looked fine, unscathed, unmarked, by any fight she could have possibly been in, but she did have the once empty food strapped over her shoulder looking plump and full.

Her focus was on the front desk and she said something to who he assumed was the innkeeper. He scowled. That mangy little man in no way could be trusted. The less Hikari associated with him the better, especially after the way he'd drooled over her when they first arrived. If only he could get her attention without attracting the attention of a certain nearby table. Then as if she had read his mind, she turned her head and her bright red eyes zeroed in on him.

Her eyebrow rose at the sight of in such an unfamiliar setting, then she offered him a slight smile and started towards him.

Sasori, narrowed Hiruko's eyes. The last thing he wanted was the two ninja to see her. They could see her now. If she sat down at his table and started chatting with him or worse handing him a bag full of money there was no way the other two ninjas in the room weren't going to notice. He panicked.

Hikari was foolish, reckless… She was going to get them killed! She breezed past him, not even glancing at him as she did so. Shocked Sasori sat listening to rapid heartbeat slowly began to calm as he realized he was safe… for the moment. He glared at her through Hiruko's eyes. She was approaching the bar. Moments later she took a seat at the far end of it away from the majority of drunks. The bartender eyed her sceptically, but went over to her anyways. She ordered a drink and sat patiently at the counter, appearing to be another patron as her bored eyes surveyed the room. Did she see the two ninja or better yet had she recognized them for what they were? Her gaze landed on a young man drowning himself in whisky as tears leaked out his eyes. Did she recognize him? Had she encountered him on her mission? Was she aware of the carnage reportedly left behind at the villa?

Sasori wanted nothing more than to march up to her and demand answers from her, because hell, it was time he got a few. He needed to get her and himself out of there. He kept Hiruko's eyes darting around the room, following on the barmaids, anything to make himself seem inconspicuous, while his own stared at her, watching every move she made like a hawk watching its prey.

A drink was set down before her, and she took a sip, only to wince and nudge it away.

"You alone?" a voice asked as a man sat down on the stool next to her.

Sade pulled her beer back toward her, becoming very interested in the golden liquid. Not to be put off the man grabbed the bottle and took a swig from it.

"You're lucky that wasn't a cup of coffee. I would have beaten you into the floor." The man chuckled, but it died down when he registered the underlying seriousness in her tone. "Rough night?"

Sade blinked. "Yes." Images flashed across her mind's eyes in sudden swell emotion. They weren't images of the present night, but one long ago; vivid as if she had lived it moments ago. It was enough to make a tear fall onto the hard wooden surface of the countertop as a corpial pain bloomed in her chest. Other pain accompanied it. Phantom's of wounds endured long ago.

Her right hand dropped automatically to her left side. She pulled her hand away, studying it as if she thought something would appear there besides a black leather glove.

"A pretty girl like you shouldn't cry," the man said seriously. Sade nearly snorted. She looked at her face in the mirror every morning; she was anything but pretty.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"You know-"

"I need to go," She stood and waved over the barman and quickly paid for her drink.

"Thank you for your company," You can have the rest of that. The man stood.

"Wait a minute!"

Sade ran.

The man made to follow but saw Hiruko sitting there so close to the hall leading toward the lobby that he decided better of it and reclaimed his seat. It wasn't on part of Sasori's doing that the man balked. Something about Hiruko tended to keep people away from him. Whether this was due to the puppet's appearance or due to Sasori's deadly aura he wasn't really sure. All he did know is that people gave him space and that the man wouldn't be dashing up the stairs to see Sade.

Sasori stared after her as Hiruko's eyes remained fixed on the man left at the bar. He'd heard every word spoken, but he had no idea what had set her off. Although, it would probably give any other observer that she was just a nervous young girl, who in her depressed state of mind came for a drink, and got scared. That's what he prayed would happen, and to his hope's delight the other ninjas made no move to get up.

Now all he had to do was leave the bar and things would be okay. He checked the clock and decided to linger another twenty minutes.

* * *

_Twenty minutes later..._

Sade started when the bedroom door opened and Hiruko hauled into the room. The door closed seemingly on its own accord and Sade returned to studying the coverlet on her bed.

"Why on Earth did you do that?" Sasori demanded as he returned Hiruko to its scroll.

"What?" Sade looked up.

"Run out of there." Sasori explained like it should have been obvious.

"I had already started towards you and the innkeeper was watching my every move. It wasn't like I didn't see your puppet glower at me, but I figured since I'd already started moving in your general direction it would be weird if I just abruptly turned around and went up the stairs, and then have you follow me up later, especially when the innkeeper was being a hawk. It wasn't until I was at the bar that I realized you weren't the only ninja in the room. But again it would have been weird if I just turned around and walked out at the sight of them. So I ordered a drink and pretended to play 'Innocent Girl Alone at the Bar,'" Sade explained. "I ran out for two reasons. One to keep up the act and two because I didn't want to deal with some pervert's hormonal urges."

Sasori watched as her sudden spark of irritability left her slumped in her bed. She ran her fingers through her hair. Her gloves were on the pillow beside her. She reached into the food bag which he could see contained apples and dried goods and pulled out a scroll.

"The money is in there." She said handing it to him. "What's not in there was spent on apples, granola bars, and water bottles." He took it from her and put on the floor next to his bag.

"Thanks for teaching me that seal." Sasori blinked at her. "It was incredibly useful, and thanks for being such a jerk about it." She offered him a smile that was sincere.

Unsure of what to say he remained quiet. He watched her as she laid down on the covers with her head on her gloves.

"What happened to make you run out like that? I heard everything the two of said to each other, but I also you… your emotional response was not just an act." Sasori watched her as she frowned at the ceiling.

"Sasori, when you sleep at night do you hear them? Can you see them?"

"See who?" Sasori asked.

"The people you've killed. I do. All the time. I see their eyes: I can't forget their eyes. Every night I relive those moments. It's only when I'm awake I'm able to escape them, but I can't forget them. I fell once, too far and too deep. I escaped from the darkness I was drowning in only due to luck, and I made a point to never allow myself to become that person again. Sasori, I meant every word I said to you in the cave, but there are some things I will not do. Not even for you." She looked up at him. "Don't glare at me. I'm telling you this so be aware. I don't want this coming as a shock to you at any point in time."

Sasori sat still, making sure his face was blank as possible. She was no shinobi, but she been something at one point. It had left her fundamentally changed in ways she probably hadn't even realised. It was a big admission from her, but only led him to new questions. If he added many more questions to the list he was going to lose it at some point.

"Hikari," she looked up at him. He'd realized very quickly after their conversation in the cave she liked being called by her real name. He would have gone so far as to say she delighted in it. "How old are you?"

He had a feeling this was a big question and the momentary, startled shock on her face that soon became a deep exhausted frown indicated as much.

"You ask me that question," she hesitated, "if I answer it that lead to questions I am not ready to answer."

Sasori's eyes flashed. She'd seen it and her eyes narrowed. She sat up. "It's not a story I tell people. You can ask me any question and I'd answer, but not that one."

"I'm letting you travel with me, if you expect to keep you alive-"

"If it's going to be a problem for you, I'll leave and I swear to you I won't tell anyone you were here, but should we meet again don't expect me to help you either," She snarled. "You haven't earned the right."

"I haven't earned the right. I'm the one who allowed you to tag along. I can kill you,"

"Kill me? Kid you can't even touch me." Her eyes remained livid as the two of them stared each other down. Sasori's fingers twitched convulsively. "What assurance do I have that you can be trusted? I have told you everything you need to know to know about me at this point in time. I have so far withheld nothing from your knowledge you could not have asked for at any time. That is my only secret, and I don't reveal it lightly. I'm sorry if that arrangement isn't good enough for you, but I can't."

A heavy silence, tense, and angry, but becoming less so by the minute covered them, as the glowered at each other.

The tension drained from her muscles and she back on her bed. "Sasori, if I tell you. You will be the only person besides myself alive who'll know everything about me. Please, as a shinobi, I'm sure you can understand what that means."

Sasori's anger dissolved although he still felt some residual irritation. He took a seat on his bed and eventually, as the silence lengthened reclined against his pillows.

"Do you drink?" Sasori inquired, breaking the silence.

"No, I only did that to play up my act. I've always found alcohol distasteful." Sade scrunched up her nose. "Do you?"

"Never," Sasori replied closing his eyes. "It's one of the three forbidden things that all shinobi to be effective must avoid."

"Yeah, my father mentioned them to me," Sade frowned as the haze of that memory vaguely returned. "Drink, the opposite sex, and money."

"So out of curiosity do you pursue women?" Sade asked.

Sasori scowled indignantly, "no. Mainly because women are typically obnoxious and emotional attachments make a person weak." Hikari raised an eyebrow, then frowned, then bit her lip, and he thought she was going to say something, but she seemed to decide it was unnecessary and asked a different question.

"Do you gamble?"

"No." Sasori gave her a look before asking: "How about you, do you date?"

"Once," Sade admitted staring up at the ceiling. "It didn't go so well. We had known each other for a while, so I felt comfortable saying yes when he asked, but we broke up that very night, right after we'd gone to dinner." She didn't look at him, but maybe it was a trick of the light, but he thought her cheeks were slightly greyer than before. He didn't bother to respond to that admission.

"Do you gamble?"

"No, if I have to waste money I'll go shopping." Sasori rolled his eyes to which Sade scoffed, "Hey! I happen to be a bargain shopper and I typically buy only the necessities." He looked over at her with a wicked smirk. She huffed in amused exasperation and brandished one of her gloves at him threateningly.

"It's not a senbon, but it can still hit you." She teased. "And if that's not enough I have this nice fluffy pillow right here." He snorted and adverted his gaze toward the ceiling.

Several minutes went by before the silence was broken.

"Sasori why do you believe emotional attachment is a weakness?" The look she gave him was lost and puzzled.

Sasori's brow furrowed slightly as he chose his words. "If you are emotionally attached to someone and than that person dies or leaves, it'll leave you grief stricken and vulnerable to attack, both mentally and physically. If you're emotionally attached to someone and your enemies catch you with that person, they'll exploit those emotions by either turning you against one another or by using your loved one as collateral to make you bow to their demands-"

"Like in a hostage scenario?"

"Yes," Sasori agreed. She frowned, studying him. "I understand the inherent dangers in emotional attachments and you're right. I'm not disagreeing with your statement, but I don't believe emotional ties are a terrible thing to have all the time, because in a person's moment of greatest weakness if they have someone there to support them, bolster them, even share the pain with them, that person will not be as weak as they could have been if they'd been alone in that situation." Her eyes were troubled and the puckering of her brow made the shadows deepen beneath her eyes. "I could be wrong about that, but I know that I would not have survived if I didn't have the emotional attachments I had. But then, maybe, you're stronger than I am."

Again silence fell between them, from Sasori's side it was introspective, but Hikari seemed to be brooding on what he'd said.

"By the way, you didn't answer my question. I had asked why you 'believe emotional attachments are weaknesses.' I was wondering if you- if you learned that from personal experience or if you believed everything written in the book?"

Sasori's eyes widened slightly. Hikari twiddled her fingers and bit her lip. "I know, especially given what I said earlier, that I have no right to ask but…Sasori what happened to you?"

Sasori tensed and repeated her earlier answer. "Hikari, if I tell you. You will be the only person besides myself alive who'll know everything about me." Sasori glued his eyes to the ceiling refusing to look in her direction. He couldn't hide his emotions and it wouldn't do well for her to see him at the moment.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Sade's voice drifted across the room. He blinked still staring at the ceiling. Nothing coherent came to mind, so maybe if he didn't respond to her she'd leave him alone. The last thing he wanted to do was give away his lack of control. His brow furrowed as a giggle sounded from the opposite side of the room.

"What's so funny?" He snapped.

"I just noticed the ducks on the wall paper and they reminded me of a story I heard a long time ago." Another giggle escaped as she grinned, "Ducks are kind of a weird wallpaper design, aren't they?"

"Hn," Sasori scowled, not in the mood for any more chitchat.

"It's kind of a dumb story, but if you want I'll tell you," she glanced at him with refrained hope. The fact that it was dumb didn't make him feel convinced, but at least he wouldn't be forced to answer any more questions while still being possibly able to learn about her.

"I'm listening," he drawled. She smiled. It made him freeze momentarily. No one ever smiled at him so happily before. Maybe the story meant a lot to her.

Cutting off any further musing she began, "A long time ago, before Konoha was a Hidden Village and before The Land of Fire was a country there was this village built on the shore of huge lake. It was crystal blue and people would go fishing, swimming, and boating in this lake. And there were ducks. There were always ducks on the water. Well this one November, there was a huge flock of ducks on the lake." She grinned. "There were so many ducks that all anyone could see was a mass of quacking, bobbing, feathery, white, fluff balls," -Sasori's lip curled-"meandering across the water surface. Then at that second"-Sade snapped her fingers-"the temperature dropped so fast the whole lake froze, and all the ducks were trapped in the ice."

Sasori blinked. "Did they die?" he asked amused.

"No," Sade grinned. "They flew away and took the whole lake with them."-Sasori smirked amusedly and Sade let out a bark of laughter-"Now I hear that lake is somewhere up in the Land of Rice."

"I told you it was dumb," She said. Still smirking, Sasori shrugged.

"I found it fairly interesting. It could almost be a parody on how the Valley of the End was formed," Sasori mused as he shifted to readjust his pillow. When he got no response he looked up only to get a confused stare.

"You've never heard of the Valley of the End?"

"The name is familiar and I know it's Land of Fire…" The openly shocked look Sasori was giving her silenced her. "You don't know the story?" He smirked. "Well I have a story for you. There were these two clans the Senju and the Uchiha and…."


	10. A Flipping Coin

**Author's Note: It has been a very long long long time since I have updated this. Too long in fact, but here it is. I am very aware of the fact that it's short, but I needed to get my bearings straight for what is to happen next. I'll give you a hint… there will be poison. And be looking for another update fairly soon. I think I'll keep the chapters fairly short from now on, although most of them will be longer than this.**

* * *

**A Flipping Coin**

Another village greeted them. Another civilian village. Civilians were useless as far as Sasori was concerned, and the moment the outline a ramshackle inn caught his attention through the haze of heat and jostling bodies he made a beeline for it.

When his fingers wrapped around knob however, he noticed two things: starved shaggy dog was rooting through a nearby pile of refuse and his obscenely pale companion was staring at it if it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Hikari, it's a dog. The world is full of them."

She shot him a mild glare. "I'm hungry."

What? What the- "Hungry?" He didn't care about her hunger. He was hungry too, but that was- "What are you going to do, eat the dog?"

She shrugged. "It's starving and isn't long for this world. If malnourishment doesn't kill it tonight then illness will. I can save it hours, maybe days of suffering." The dog was growling low at them, and Sasori's hand reflexively inched toward a knife. He'd heard of ninjas who used dogs to track down rogue shinobi or it could have rabies. Dogs rarely growled at people like it was now. Sade's attention was successfully diverted.

It snarled, deep and guttural, as it slunk toward them. Sasori felt the hairs on his neck freeze. Its eyes were not normal. They were red, not the bright unusual candy apple red Sade's were, no. These were a deep dark red like blood when it had dried, and they harboured something truly malevolent.

"Sasori get inside." Sade's voice was little more than a whisper. He nodded in agreement, or he would have if his head was capable of moving. He couldn't move. The fear that clenched his chest was stifling and his chest was starting to hurt. His heart really was going to burst from his chest. A moan of terror rose from his throat unbidden. Were the dog's eyes gold now? They'd been red before right? Sade's arm shot out pulling the door open and Sasori stumbled as he was shoved inside.

The slam of the door was muffled by the pounding in his ears, and Sasori unceremoniously slumped against it. Sade was in front him, looking up at him with concern. He closed his eyes focusing on his breathing.

He felt her deformedly long fingers pressing against his forehead accompanied by the words, "You're cold and clammy." He would have snapped at her for initiating physical contact and again for making such a ridiculously obvious statement. Like, no shit he was cold and clammy. He was pretty sure his life was about to be destroyed by some stupid mutt.

The bag containing the money they had was slipped from his shoulder and he cracked his eyes open to watch the proceedings. Once again they were dealing with another money grubbing thief behind the counter that took the opportunity to snatch up any extra coinage they had.

Slowly Sasori rose from the door to stand at Hikari's shoulder. "One room will be fine, we'll take the one. Sade pay the man."

A signature book was pulled from beneath the counter. Quickly he jotted down two pseudonyms. Normally he wouldn't have done even that, but they wouldn't be staying for more than a day, and after his display at the door he'd probably be viewed as some weak common ninja on the run instead of the S-class criminal he truly was.

He snatched the key from the man and hastened down a narrow hall, toward the room number indicated on the key. Sade's eyes were on him. He could them boring into his skull. She watching him with concern and looked like she wanted to say something, but he gave her a look and she wisely averted her eyes and kept her mouth shut.

The door of the room was thrown open, revealing a small square window nestled into the wall above a single bed. Great.

He set his bag on the blankets and Sade did likewise. Her eyes were on him again. "What? I'm fine." She blanched, and looked away. Sighing he flopped down on mattress. What was wrong with him? He had completely lost his composure. He really didn't need to be snapping at her, either. She was the only ally he had the moment-maybe- and his current attitude wasn't doing anything to cement that alliance.

"I'm sorry."

Sasori blinked and turned his head to face his companion who wasn't looking at him. "I'm sorry, about the dog and about leaving Suna so abruptly, and I'm sorry for not returning sooner."

He snorted. "I don't know why you're trying." What good were the apologies after so much time had passed? What were they supposed to change? 'Sorry wouldn't change the past or take the pain away, and the word was a more often than not a meaningless utterance spoken by people who weren't really sorry.

She was glaring at him, and he curled onto his side so his back was facing her. It was a bold move, but he was fairly certain she wasn't going to kill him, and his hand was resting on a knife just in case. "Sorry doesn't impress me."

And angry huff met his ears and he smirked. He'd let her stew on that for a while. "I'm taking a nap." He declared even as he stifled a yawn.

"Shall I hold the fort you honey?" she asked in a sarcastically sultry tone. "If you would be so kind Hikari dearest," he smirked matching her tone. He knew he was good looking, although his aloof personality and infamous history from the war acted as a deterrent which he was quite pleased about in most cases. But even still he could charm the pants off of anyone when he wanted to. Of course this was a bit too mocking to have that effect. But the reaction was immediate. He could almost hear it, the sound of her teeth clenching as she clammed up and it made him smirk.

He sensed her move away followed shortly by the sound of something sliding. Glancing up he peeked over his shoulder to see the top of her head. She was sitting in front of the door.


End file.
